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U  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR 
CHILDREN'S  BUREAU 

JUUA  C.  LATHROP.  Chiel 


CHILD  CARE 

Part  K  THE  PRESCHOOL  AGE 

BY 
MRS.  MAX  WEST 


^ 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  SERIES  No.  3 

Bureau  Publication  No.  30 


•^res  O*  ^ 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OmCE 

1918 


^^^ 


SPECIAIi  NOTICE. 


At  the  moment  that  this  bulletin  goes  to  press  there  is  urgent  need 
of  reminding  mothers  that  milk  is  an  indispensable  food  for  all 
babies  under  2  years  of  age,  and  that  there  is  no  food  which  can  ade- 
quately fill  its  place  in  the  diet  of  older  children.  Other  articles 
may  compensate  for  the  lack  of  milk  in  the  diet  of  the  grown  per- 
son, but  this  IS  not  true  of  the  developing  child.  For  this  reason  it 
will  be  a  very  grave  mistake  if,  because  milk  has  suddenly  become 
very  expensive,  children  in  this  country  should  suffer  this  loss.  It  is 
not  within  the  province  of  the  Children's  Bureau  to  deal  with  the 
commercial  aspects  of  the  milk  question,  but  it  must  not  fail  to  point 
out  the  tundamental  importance  of  milk  to  the  normal  development 
of  the  growing  child.  The  Children's  Bureau  has  lately  published  a 
bulletin  on  "  Milk,  the  Indispensable  Food  for  Children,"  by  Dr. 
Dorothy  Reed  Mendenhall,  and  anyone  desiring  a  copy  may  procure 
it  upon  request  from  the  chief  of  the  bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
■I 


H 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Letter  of  transmittal 5 

Growth  and  development 7-51 

Living  conditions 7-11 

The  choice  of  a  home 7 

Fresh  air 8 

Ventilation 8 

Heating 10 

Food 11-30 

A  well-chosen  diet 12 

The  child 's  food 15 

Food  group  No.  1.  Milk  and  dishes  made  chiefly  from  it;  fish,  poultry, 

eggs,  and  meat  8ul)stitute8 16 

Food  group  No.  2.  Bread  and  other  cereal  foods 23 

Food  group  No.  3.  Butter,  cream,  table  oil,  and  other  fatty  foods 25 

Food  group  No.  4.  Vegetables  and  fruits 26 

Food  group  No.  5.  Simple  sweets 27 

A  re\dew 27 

Drinlvfl 28 

Food  habits 28 

Clothing 30-37 

Number  and  kind  of  garments 30 

Materials 32 

Nightgowns 33 

Wraps 33 

Amount  of  clothing 33 

Hats  and  caps 34 

Shoes  and  stockings 34-37 

Fitting  the  shoes .• 35 

Sleep  and  rest 37-38 

Amount 37 

Conditions  for  good  sleep 37 

Sleeping  bags 38 

Play  and  exercise 38-45 

Out-of-door  play 39-42 

Swimming 41 

Skating 41 

Bicycling 41 

Dancing 41 

Indoor  play 42 

The  playroom 44 

Children  and  entertainments 44 

Discipline  and  education 45-51 

Habits 47 

Obedience 47 

Punishment 48 

Education 49-51 

Sex  education 50 


Q  W  fi  W  f^  i^ 


4  CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Health  and  hygiene 52-68 

Care  of  the  skin 52-54 

Baths  and  bathing 52 

Care  of  the  hair 54 

Care  of  eyes 55 

Care  of  teeth 56-59 

Diet  and  the  teeth 58 

Cleaning  the  teeth 58 

Permanent  teeth 59 

Care  of  the  ears 60 

Care  of  the  mouth,  throat,  and  nose 60-62 

Adenoids  and  tonsils 61 

Care  of  the  feet G2 

Training  the  feet 62 

Care  of  the  bowels 63-64 

Diet  in  constipation 63 

How  to  keep  children  well 64 

Common  diseases  of  childhood 64-66 

Infectious  diseases 65 

Common  accidents  of  childhood 66-68 

Wounds 67 

Hemorrhage  from  the  nose 67 

Bumps  and  bruises 68 

■  Appendix 69-81 

Table  of  heights  and  weights G9 

Home  medicine  closet 70 

Poisons  and  their  antidotes 71 

State  and  municipal  biu'eaus  of  child  hygiene 74 

Private  associations  for  infant  welfare 74 

Hospital  and  institutional  care  for  children 75 

Government  publications 75-79 

How  to  obtain  Government  publications 78 

List  of  reading  references  on  child  care  and  training 79 

Index. 83 

DIAGRAMS. 

Diagram  I.  Simple  dress 31 

Diagram  II.  Outline  of  child's  foot 36 

Diagram  III.  Permanent  teeth;  milk  teeth 59 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


United  Statp:s  Department  or  Labor, 

Children's  Bureau, 
Washington,  D.  ( '..  Fehrimnj  2J^,  WIS. 

Sir:  I  transmit  liereAvith  the  tliird  bulletin  in  the  Care  of  Children 
series. 

This  bulletin  discusses  the  care  of  the  chikl  from  2  to  6  years  of 
age,  continuing  through  the  important  preschool  period  the  direc- 
tions for  the  care  and  hygiene  of  the  child  begun  in  the  previous 
bulletins,  Prenatal  Care  and  Infant  Care. 

Like  the  preceding  bulletins  of  this  series,  this  number  is  addressed 
to  the  average  American  mother  and  jiarticularly  to  those  motliers 
who  are  so  situated  that  they  are  obliged  to  forego  many  of  the 
opportunities  afforded  to  those  who  live  within  easy  distance  of 
libraries,  infant  and  child  welfare  associations,  physicians,  visiting 
nurses,  and  other  aids  in  the  problems  of  child  care.  Also,  like  the 
other  bulletins  of  the  series,  it  attempts  no  more  than  to  set  forth 
the  best  accepted  opinions  ujioii  the  matters  included  in  its  scope.  In 
the  age  period  considered  many  forms  of  defect  and  disease  have 
been  found  to  make  their  appearance  which  might  have  been  pre- 
vented by  a  better  understanding  of  the  simple  laws  of  hygiene. 

The  bulletin  is  written  by  Mrs.  Max  AVest,  who  prepared  the 
earlier  bulletins  in  this  series.  Dr.  Grace  L.  Meigs,  in  charge  of  the 
division  of  hygiene  of  the  Children's  Bureau,  has  supervised  the  dis- 
cussion of  subjects  touching  the  medical  field. 

The  bureau  is  again  indebted  to  many  physicians  and  other  per- 
sons for  critical  reviews  of  the  manuscript  and  for  assistance  in 
securing  material. 

Special  mention  must  be  made  of  the  heljjful  cooperation  of  the 
Division  of  Home  Economics  of  the  States  Relations  Service,  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Extension 
Service  of  the  L^iversity  of  Wisconsin. 

EespectfuUy  submitted. 

Julia  C.  Lathrop,  C'hk-f. 

Hon.  W.  B.  Wilson, 

Secretanj  of  Labor. 

5 


CHILD  CARE. 


GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 

LIVING  CONDITIONS. 

The  growth  impulse  is  inherent  in  the  young  of  all  animals,  includ- 
ing the  human  being,  and  in  obedience  to  this  natural  impulse  chil- 
dren will  grow  even  under  hampering  surroundings.  But  for  per- 
fect development  of  body  and  mind  certain  fundamental  physical 
conditions  are  required.  Among  these  are  pure  air,  food,  and 
water;  warmth  and  protection;  sleep  and  rest;  freedom  and  exer- 
cise. It  is  plain  wisdom,  therefore,  to  surround  children  through- 
out the  whole  period  of  childhood  as  far  as  possible  with  those 
conditions  which  are  most  favorable  to  healthy  growth.  Wliat- 
ever  qualities  the  child  may  have  inherited  from  his  parents  may  be 
modified  by  his  surroundings,  either  to  his  advantage  or  disadvan- 
tage. One  of  the  common  lessons  of  everyday  experience  is  that  a 
plant  which  grows  strong  and  vigorous  and  produces  a  wealth  of 
bloom  and  fruit  when  the  soil,  water,  and  sunshine  are  adapted  to  the 
requirements  of  this  particular  plant  will  grow  spindling  and  weak 
and  produce  few  or  stunted  blossoms  and  fruit  when  the  conditions 
are  unfavorable.  Sunshine,  fresh  air,  and  proper  food  are  equally 
essential  to  the  human  plant. 

Studies  recently  made  by  the  Children's  Bureau  show  that  in  rear 
and  alley  houses  with  bad  sanitary  conditions,  dark,  overcrowded, 
and  badly  ventilated  rooms  many  more  babies  die  in  the  first  year  of 
life  than  in  houses  on  the  better  streets,  and  it  is  fair  to  assume  that 
such  conditions  would  not  favor  healthy  growth  at  any  age.^ 

THE  CHOICE  OF  A  HOME. 

A  baby  may  thrive  very  well  for  the  first  j'^ear  or  two  of  life  in  a 
flat  or  apartment,  but  a  child  old  enough  to  run  about  should  have 
much  more  freedom  than  such  quarters  afford  and  should  be  able  to 
spend  a  great  part  of  his  life  out  of  door^.  It  is  so  difficult  to  provide 
these  conditions  in  any  adequate  degree  in  an  apartment  that  a  sepa- 

^  See  reports  on  infant  mortality  in  Johnstown,  Pa.,  Manchester,  X.  H.,  and  Waterbury, 
Conn.,  Children's  Bureau,  Washington,  D.   C. 

7 


8  CHILD    CABE. 

rate  house  with  a  yard  is  greatly  to  be  preferred  as  a  home  for  a 
child.  Even  though  the  house  itself  may  be  small  and  lacking  in 
some  of  the  comforts  and  conveniences,  that  does  not  matter  much 
as  far  as  the  child  is  concerned  if  he  can  spend  most  of  his  life  out  of 
doors.  The  difference  which  even  two  weeks  in  the  country  in  the 
summer  makes  in  the  appearance  of  pale  and  listless  city  children 
shows  how  important  sunshine,  fresh  air,  and  free  exercise  are  to 
the  health  of  the  growing  child. 

When  it  is  absolutely  necessar}'  to  make  a  home  in  the  more 
crowded  part  of  a  city  an  effort  should  be  made  to  locate  near  a 
park  or  other  open  space  to  which  children  may  frequently  be  taken. 
Every  bit  of  yard  should  be  utilized  and  in  some  cases  the  roof  may 
be  used  for  playgrounds  and  for  out-of-door  sleeping.  By  the  exer- 
cise of  great  ingenuity  even  the  most  unfavorable  place  may  often  be 
rendered  somewhat  more  suitable  for  child  life.  Fortunately  the 
{ endency  of  the  present  day  to  improve  the  suburbs  of  most  American 
cities,  the  extension  of  the  trolley  lines  in  every  direction,  and  the 
decreasing  cost  of  motor  cars  bring  the  advantages  of  outside  homes 
within  the  reach  of  a  constantly  growing  number  of  people.  Chil- 
dren are  also  reaping  great  benefit  from  the  growing  taste  for 
out-of-door  life  which  the  present  generation  has  developed  and 
Avhich  has  led  many  families  to  seek  suburban  or  country  homes. 

FRESH  AIR. 

Air  is  the  first  condition  of  life  and  growth.  It  is  possible  to  live 
without  food  for  days  and  without  Avater  for  hours,  but  if  a  person  is 
deprived  of  air  for  a  few  moments  life  ceases,  because  the  bodily 
processes  can  not  go  on  without  oxygen.  Children  who  spend  a  large 
part  of  their  time  indoors,  and  especially  those  who  must  live  or  work- 
in  close,  hot,  overcrowded  rooms  or  houses,  are  apt  to  be  dull,  listless, 
pale,  and  underdeveloped.  The  grooving  use  of  flats  and  apartments 
with  tight  doors  and  windows  and  modern  heating  systems  is  partly 
responsible  for  the  alarming  spread  of  diseases  of  the  throat  and 
lungs  not  only  among  children  but  among  adults  as  well.  The  sys- 
tem becomes  weakened  and  less  resistant  to  disease  by  too  high  tem- 
peratures and  by  lack  of  constant  and  sufficient  fresh  air.  A  child 
should  not  be  allowed  needlessly  to  suffer  this  handicap  to  his  devel- 
opment. Many  parents  do  not  realize  that  to  deprive  a  child  of  suf- 
ficient fresh  air  is  quite  as  serious  as  to  deprive  him  of  sufficient  food. 

VfeNTILATION. 

Indoor  air  is  vitiated  by  the  occupants  of  the  rooms,  by  fires,  by 
illuminants  other  than  electricity,  by  dust,  gases,  and  smoke,  particu- 
larly tobacco  smoke.  To  sweep  out  these  impurities  and  admit  a 
fresh  siipply  of  pure  air  is  the  business  of  ventilation.    Good  ventila- 


THE   PRESCHOOL   AGE.  9 

tion  requires  that  the  air  in  the  house  shall  be  kept  in  gentle,  if  im- 
perceptible, motion;  that  it  shall  be  warmed  or  cooled  to  the  right 
temperature  and  shall  have  the  proper  degree  of  humidity  and 
freshness. 

Windows  and  outside  doors  are  the  chief  means  of  ventilating  the 
ordinary  home,  and  should  be  kept  open  most  of  the  time  in  summer 
and  be  opened  at  frequent  intervals  in  winter.  The  best  way  to  ven- 
tilate a  room  is  to  open  the  windows  or  doors  on  opposite  sides  in 
order  to  secure  a  cross-current.  If  the  wind  happens  to  be  blowing 
strongly,  it  will  speedily  fill  every  part  of  the  house  with  clean, 
fresh  air,  but  on  a  still  day  the  process  will  take  longer.  Every 
occupied  room  in  the  house,  including  dining  and  sitting  rooms, 
should  be  completel}^  flushed  with  pure  out-of-door  air  at  least  once 
in  24  hours. 

To  prevent  the  cold  air  from  chilling  the  floor  a  window  board 
may  be  inserted  in  the  opening  made  when  the  lower  sash  is  raised  a 
few  inches,  which  permits  the  cold  air  to  enter  the  room  l)etween  the 
two  sashes,  Avhile  the  heated  air  passes  out  through  a  slight  opening 
at  the  top  of  the  window.  This  method  of  ventilation  is  particularly 
well  adapted  to  rooms  which  are  in  constant  use.  In  severe  northern 
winters  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  keep  the  house  comfortably 
warm  and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  the  air  fresh.  In  the  daytime  the 
rooms  may  be  aired  when  they  are  not  in  use.  Rooms  which  have 
been  chilled  must  be  warmed  again  before  children  come  into  thorn. 
The  playroom  or  sitting  room  may  be  aired  after  the  children  have 
gone  out  or  while  they  are  asleep,  and  the  bedrooms  may  be  flushed 
thoroughly  at  least  once  during  the  day  even  in  the  coldest  weather. 
At  night  at  least  one  window  in  the  bedroom  should  be  constantly 
open,  even  if  only  a  crack.  The  children  can  be  put  into  sleeping 
bags,^  using  two  or  three  if  necessary.  The  beds  can  be  screened  to 
protect  the  children  from  drafts  or  the  heat  can  be  kept  on  all  night, 
but  if  they  are  warmly  covered  children  will  be  benefited  in  every 
Avay  by  the  fresh  air.  One  method  of  ventilating  bedrooms  in  cold 
weather  is  to  cover  an  ordinar,y  window  screen  with  a  thickness  or 
two  of  cheesecloth  and  insert  it  in  the  widely  opened  window.  A 
screen  of  this  kind  Avill  afford  a  surprising  amount  of  protection 
against  a  too  sudden  inrush  of  icy  air. 

Sleeping  porches  have  largely  solved  the  question  of  ventilation 
for  bedrooms ;  and,  whenever  such  a  porch  is  available,  the  children 
may  safely  use  it  after  they  are  past  infancj'^,  except  in  extremely 
cold  or  stormy  weather  and  when  a  high  wind  is  blowing. 

There  is  a  popular  prejudice  against  drafts,  but  aft^r  a  person  has 
become  accustomed  to  air  in  motion  he  will  find  that  he  does  not 

1  See  p.  38. 


10  CHILD   CARE. 

suffer  from  it.  Children  who  are  used  to  rooms  through  which  a 
gentle  current  of  air  is  constantly  passing  are  far  less  likely  to 
suffer  from  diseases  of  the  nose  and  throat  than  are  those  who  are 
kept  in  tight  rooms  where  the  air  is  still  and  tends  to  become  over- 
heated. An  open  fireplace  or  grate  is  one  of  the  best  means  of 
securing  good  ventilation.  No  system  of  ventilation,  however  faith- 
full}^  carried  out,  keeps  the  indoor  air  suitable  for  children  to  live 
in  continuously.  As  one  writer  has  said,  it  is  necessary  also  to 
"  ventilate  the  children."  Even  in  winter  and  in  stormy  weather, 
when  many  forms  of  outdoor  life  are  necessarily  curtailed,  a  sheltered 
porch,  preferably  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  house,  will  make  it  possible 
for  the  children  to  have  many  happy  and  beneficial  hours  out  of 
doors,  while  in  the  milder  months  they  should  live  out  of  doors  as 
large  a  part  of  the  day  as  possible.       , 

HEATING. 

A  heating  sj^stem  is  successful  when  it  warms  the  house  so  well 
that  windows  may  be  kept  slightly  open  much  of  the  time,  even  in 
cold  weather.  A  system  that  requires  the  rooms  to  be  sealed  in  order 
to  be  kept  comfortably  warm  is  bad.  The  real  and  practical  problem, 
of  heating  is  the  cost  of  fuel,  but  "  coal  is  cheaper  than  colds." 

Houses  in  the  United  States  are  usually  heated  by  indirect  radia- 
tion— that  is,  by  steam,  hot  water,  or  hot  air — or  by  direct  radiation 
produced  by  stoves  of  various  kinds  or  by  open  fires.  Hot  water 
and  steam  are  cleanly  and  easily  controlled  and  give  an  even  heat 
throTighout  the  house,  but  houses  and  apartments  thus  warmed  are 
apt  to  be  overheated  much  of  the  time  because  of  the  ease  with  which 
the  heat  is  distributed.  Neither  system  brings  fresh  air  into  the 
rooms.  A  hot-air  furnace  is  troublesome  and  dusty,  but  has  the 
advantage  of  combining  ventilation  with  heating.  All  indirect 
systems  make  the  inside  air  too  dry,  but  various  methods  of  adding 
moisture  are  in  use.  It  is  said  that  in  very  cold  dry  weather  the 
ordinary,  medium-sized  house  requires  the  addition  to  the  air  of 
10  gallons  or  more  of  moisture  every  24  hours.  Shallow  pans  of 
water  on  the  registers,  radiators,  or  stoves  will  keep  the  air  in  the 
rooms  somewhat  moist. 

Stoves  help  to  keep  the  air  in  the  room  in  circulation,  but  dis- 
tribute the  heat  unevenly.  A  fireplace  or  an  open  stove  is  an 
excellent  ventilator  and  is  useful  as  an  accessory  to  a  general  heating 
system.  Every  open  fire  should  be  covered  with  a  strong  wire  screen 
to  protect  children  against  accident. 

An  oil  or  a  gas  heater  has  the  disadvantages  of  other  stoves  and 
consumes  much  larger  quantities  of  oxygen.  Such  a  heater  may  be 
used  in  a  small  room  if  no  other  means  of  heating  can  be  had  or 


THE    PRESCHOOL  AGE.  11 

when  quick  heat  is  needed,  but  is  suitable  only  for  temporary  use. 
Every  precaution  must  be  taken  to  guard  children  against  accident  if 
these  stoves  are  used. 

FOOD. 

From  the  ^  ery  beginning  of  life  the  child  who  is  to  develop  nor- 
mally must  have  sufficient  and  suitable  food.  Many  thousands  of 
babies  die  before  birth,  or  soon  after,  because  of  the  illness,  overwork, 
or  underfeeding  of  their  mothers  during  the  nine  months  of  prenatal 
life.^  Some  who  are  fortunate  in  being  a  little  stronger  at  birth  may 
survive  but  require  special  care  to  make  up  for  their  poor  start. 
Many  babies,  puny  at  birth,  may  be  built  up  by  judicious  feeding  into 
strong  children. 

A  study  of  the  directions  for  feeding  the  bab}'  ^  Avill  show  that  his 
dietary  is  slowly  and  cautiously  enlarged  as  he  grows  older  by  add- 
ing to  the  exclusive  milk  diet  of  infancy  cereals,  fruits,  a  few  vege- 
tables, soups,  and  a  little  meat,  and  by  giving  somewhat  greater  quan- 
tities at  each  feeding.  The  same  plan  is  followed  throughout  child- 
hood, but  for  the  first  five  j^ears  the  diet  should  still  be  restricted  to 
those  foods  which  best  supply  the  requirements  of  healthy  growth 
and  are  at  the  same  time  adapted  to  the  child's  digestive  powers. 
One  of  the  most  serious  conditions  which  affect  children  is  malnu- 
trition. This  means  that  the  child  can  not  draw  enough  suitable 
nutriment  from  the  food  he  eats  to  supply  all  his  bodily  needs.  This 
condition  may  be  due  to  actual  lack  of  food.  Here  the  remedy  is 
plain.  But  the  children  of  well-to-do  families  often  suffer  from 
serious  malnutrition.  This  is  due  in  some  cases  to  badly  selected  and 
badly  prepared  foods;  in  others,  to  overeating  or  irregularity  in  eat- 
ing, or  to  illness,  congential  defects  in  the  digestive  organs,  lost  or 
decayed  teeth,  and  to  more  obscure  causes.  Undoubtedly  one  im- 
portant cause  of  malnutrition  is  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  underlying  the  proper  selection  of  foods  and  the 
best  way  to  prepare  them  for  the  table. 

Mothers  who  boast  smilingly  that  the  baby  "  eats  everything " 
forget  that  the  child's  digestive  organs  are  no  more  capable  of  deal- 
ing with  all  foods  that  grown  people  eat  than  are  the  bones,  muscles, 
and  brain  capable  of  doing  the  work  of  grown  people.  The  stomach 
and  intestines,  like  other  organs  of  the  body,  must  be  gradually 
trained  to  harder  work  until  by  slow  degrees  they  become  accustomed 
to  dealing  with  foods  eaten  by  adults.  An  important  part  of  the 
feeding  of  children  lies  in  the  selection  of  certain  foods  for  this 

1  Prenatal  Care,  the  first  bulletin  of  this  series,  gives  directions  for  the  diet  ana  care 
of  the  mother  during  the  period  of  pregnancy.  The  second  bulletin,  Infant  Care,  shows 
how  to  care  for  the  baby  during  the  first  two  years  of  life.  These  bulletins  may  be  secured 
free  from  the  Children's  Bureau,  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 

^  See  Infant  Care,  pp.  41-50. 


12  CHILD   CARE. 

training.  It  is  a  serious  error  to  assume  that  a  child's  special  dietary 
needs  can  always  be  adequately  supplied  by  the  foods  appearing  on 
the  family  table  and  that  the  methods  of  preparing  and  cooking  them 
are  always  suitable  for  children,  for  many  articles  which  may  be  di- 
gested by  adults,  such  as  baked  beans,  boiled  cabbage,  pastry,  fritters, 
and  fried  food,  and  certain  methods  of  cooking  for  grown  persons 
are  distinctly  bad  for  children. 

A   WELL-CHOSEN   DIET. 

Experience  has  demonstrated  that  human  beings  thrive  best  on  a 
mixed  diet  of  animal  and  vegetable  foods,  because  from  such  a  diet 
the  body  can  most  readily  obtain  the  materials  it  needs  for  growth, 

repair,  and  operation. 

A  well-chosen  diet  is  one  which  supplies  all  these  materials  in 
suitable  proportion ;  a  "  deficiency  "  diet  is  one  in  Avhich  one  or  more 
of  the  essential  food  substances  is  wholly  or  partially  lacking. 

On  pages  15  to  30  simple  directions  are  given  for  the  judicious 
selection  and  preparation  of  ordinarj^  foods  with  reference  to  the 
special  dietary  needs  of  children.^ 

The  *day's  meals  for  the  family  should  furnish  the  following 
elements :  ^ 

Mineral  suT)stances  of  great  variety  (lime  salts,  conipouuds  of  phosphorus, 
iron,  and  others). — These  are  used  by  the  body  for  biiilding  material  and  are 
found  in  all  parts  of  it.  They  also  produce  substances  within  the  body  tissues 
which  tend  to  offset  acid  substances  produced  in  the  tissues  in  the  course  of 
digestion  of  meats  and  cereals  and  serve  many  other  important  uses.  Without 
fruits  and  vegetables  the  meals  would  be  likely  to  lack  certain  mineral  sub- 
stances. Without  milk  they  would  be  lacking  in  a  mineral  substance  specially 
needed  by  childi'en ;  that  is,  lime. 

Protein. — Protein  serves  as  fuel  for  the  body  and  also  provides  a  certain 
important  element,  nitrogen,  which  is  needed  in  the  case  of  children  for  growth 
and  in  the  case  of  both  children  and  grown  people  to  keep  the  body  in  repair. 
Without  the  meat  or  meat  substitutes  (including  milk)  the  meals  would  be 
lacking  in  this  body-building  material. 

Starch. — This  is  one  of  the  chief  fuels  of  the  body  and  is  supplied  mainly  by 
the  cereal  foods. 

Sugar. — This  serves  as  fuel  for  the  body  and  to  flavor  the  food.  It  is  found 
in  milk,  fresh  fruits,  and  many  other  materials,  but  unless  small  amounts  of 
very  sweet  materials — sugar  itself,  sirup,  or  honey — are  iised,  the  diet  is  likely 
to  be  lacking  in  it. 

Fat. — This  serves  as  body  fuel  and  also  improves  the  flavor  and  texture  of 
the  food.  It  is  present  in  meats,  nuts,  and  many  other  foods,  but  unless  small 
amounts  of  specially  fat  materials,  like  butter,  oil,  or  cream,  are  used,  the 
meals  are  likely  to  be  lacking  in  it.     Moreover,  dishes  cooked  without  a  certain 

1  The  material  which  follows  is  taken  substantially  from  Farmers'  Bulletins  717  and 
808,  Pt.  I.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Bulletin  808  was  written  by  Caroline  L. 
Hunt  and  Helen  W.  Atwater.  Bulletin  717  was  written  by  Miss  Hunt  at  the  suggestion 
of  and  in  cooperation  with  the  Children's  Bureau. 

a  How  to  Select  Foods,  Tart  I.     '"  What  the  Body  Needs,"  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  808. 


THE    PKESCHOOL   AGE.  13 

amount  of  fat  and  meals  served  without  butter  or  some  substitute  seem,  to 
most  persons,  dry  and  unpalatable. 

Cellulose. — This  is  the  material  which  makes  up  the  framework  of  plants. 
It  f^ives  bulk  to  the  diet  and  may  tend  to  prevent  constipation.  Without  the 
fruits  and  vegetables  the  meals  would  be  lacking  in  this  important  element. 

Certain  ncicli/  discovered  substances  in  very  small  amounts,  which  are  be- 
lieved to  play  an  important  part  in  keeping  people  well  and  in  promoting  the 
growth  of  children.  Without  milk  in  the  diet  some  of  these  substances,  par- 
ticularly those  necessary  for  children,  would  be  lacking,  and  without  meat, 
milk,  eggs,  fruits,  and  vegetables  others  needed  by  persons  of  all  ages  might 
not  be  present  in  sufficient  amounts. 

Flavonngs  and  condiments. — In  most  families  some  materials  are  used  in 
preparing  or  serving  food  which  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  meals  without 
furnishing  the  body  any  nourishment.  Among  these  are  salt,  pepper,  vinegar, 
lemon  juice,  spices,  seasoning  herbs,  horse-radish,  flavoring  extracts,  and  many 
other  materials  often  spoken  of  as  "  condiments." 

The  common  foods  wliioli  supply  the  necessary  food  elements  are  as 
follows :  ^ 

Fruits  and  vegetables,  such  as  apples,  bananas,  berries,  citrus  fruits,  spinach 
and  other  greens,  turnips,  tomatoes,  melons,  cabbage,  green  beans,  green  i)eas, 
preen  corn,  and  many  other  vegetables  and  fruits.  Without  these  the  food 
Avould  be  lacking  in  mineral  substances  needed  for  building  the  body  and 
keeping  it  in  good  working  condition ;  in  acids  which  give  flavor,  prevent  con- 
stipation, and  serve  other  useful  purposes;  and  in  minute  quantities  of  other 
substances  needed  for  health.  By  giving  bulk  to  the  diet  they  make  it  more 
satisfying  to  the  appetite.^ 

Meat  and  meat  substitutes,  or  protein-rich  foods :  Moderately  fat  meats,  milk, 
poultry,  fish,  cheese,  eggs,  dried  legumes  (beans,  peas,  lentils,  cowpeas, 
peanuts),  and  some  of  the  nuts.  These  are  sources  of  an  important  body- 
building material,  protein.  In  the  case  of  children  part  of  the  protein  food 
should  always  be  whole  milk.2 

Foods  rich  in  starch:  Cereals  (wheat,  rice,  rye,  barley,  oats,  and  corn)  and 
potatoes  (white  and  sweet).  Cereals  come  near  to  being  complete  foods,  and 
in  most  diets  they  supply  more  of  the  nourishment  than  any  other  kind  of 
food.  It  is  not  safe,  however,  to  live  only  on  cereals.  The  grains  may  be  simply 
♦  leaned  and  partially  hiisked  before  cooking,  as  in  cracked  wheat  and  Scotch 
oatmeal ;  they  may  be  ground  into  flour  and  used  as  the  basis  of  breads,  cakes, 
]tastry,  etc.;  or  they  may  be  partially  cooked  at  the  factory,  as  in  many 
J>reakfast  preparations ;  or  they  may  be  prepared  in  the  form  of  such  pastes 
as  macaroni,  noodles,  etc.  In  all  these  forms  they  furnish  the  body  with  the 
same  general  materials,  though  in  different  proportions. 

Sugar  (granulated,  pulverized,  brown,  and  maple),  honey,  molasses,  sirup, 
and  other  .sweets.  Unless  some  of  the  fuel  is  in  this  form  the  diet  is  likely  to 
be  lacking  in  flavor. 

Foods  very  rich  in  fat :  Bacon,  salt  pork,  butter,  oil,  suet,  lard,  cream,  etc. 
These  are  important  sources  of  body  fuel.  Without  a  little  of  them  the  food 
would  not  be  rich  enough  to  taste  good. 

Some  food  materials  really  belong  in  more  than  one  group.  Cereals,  for 
example,  supply  protein  as  well  as  starch ;  potatoes  supply  starch  as  well  as 

^  How  to  Select  Foods,  Part  I,  "  What  the  Body  Needs,"  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  808. 
-  Reforences  to  discussions  of  the  mineral  constitupnts  of  food,   the   proteins,   and  the 
growth-promoting  substances  are  found  on  p.  79. 


14 


CHILD  CARE. 


mineral  matters,  acids,  cellulose,  aud  body-regulating  substances,  for  which 
they  are  especially  valuable;  and  most  meat  supplies  fat  as  well  as  protein. 
For  the  sake  of  simplicity,  however,  each  material  is  here  grouped  according 
to  the  nutrient  for  which  it  is  usually  considered  most  valuable.  These  points 
are  all  brought  out  in  more  detail  in  other  bulletins  which  discuss  the  special 
groups.* 

The  lists  given  below  show  some  of  the  common  food  materials  arranged 
in  these  five  groups.  If  the  housekeeper  will  consult  them  in  planning  meals 
imtil  she  has  learned  where  each  kind  of  food  belongs,  she  will  have  taken 
tlie  first  step  toward  providing  a  diet  which  will  supply  all  the  food  needs  of 
her  family.  It  will  be  only  one  step,  to  be  sure,  but  it  should  prevent  two 
mistakes — that  of  serving  meals  that  have  not  sufficient  variety,  and  that  of 
cutting  down  in  the  wrong  places  when  economy,  either  of  time  or  money,  ia 
needed : 

FOODS  DEPENDED  ON  FOB  MINERAL  MATTERS,  VEGETABLE  ACIDS,  AND  BODY-JJEGULATING 

SUBSTANCES.^ 


Fruits : 

Apples,  pears,  etc. 

Bananas. 

Berries. 

Melons. 

Oranges,  lemons,  etc. 

Etc. 


Vegetables : 

Salads — ^lettuce,  celery,  etc. 
Potherbs  or  "  greens."  ' 
I'otatoes  and  root  vegetables. 
Green  peas,  beans,  etc. 
Tomatoes,  squash,  etc. 
Etc. 


FOODS  DEPENDED  ON  FOK  PROTEIN. 


Milk,  skim  milk,  cheese,  etc. 

Eggs. 

Meat. 

Poultry. 


Fish. 

Dried  peas,  beans,  cowpeas,  etc. 

Nuts. 


FOODS  DEPENDED  ON  FOR  STARCH. 


Cereal  grains,  meals,  flours,  etc. 
Cereal  breakfast  foods. 
Bread. 
Crackers. 


Macaroni  and  other  pastes. 

Cakes,  cookies,  starchy  puddings,  etc. 

Potatoes  and  other  starchy  vegetables 


FOODS  DEPENDED  ON  FOR  SUGAR. 


Sugar. 
Molasses. 
Sirups. 
Honey. 


Candies. 

Fruits  preserved  in  sugar,  jellies,  and 

dried  fruits. 
Sweet  cakes  and  desserts. 


FOODS   DEPENDED   ON   FOR  FAT, 


Butter  and  cream. 

I.ard,  suet,  and  other  cooking  fats. 


Salt  pork  and  bacon. 
Table  and  salad  oils. 


'  References  to  other  bulletins  of  the  U.  S.  Department  ot  Agriculture,  concerning  the 
constituents  of  food,  are  found  on  p.  76. 

-  How  to  Select  Foods.  Part  I,  "  What  the  Body  Needs,"  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  808. 
'  Particularly  spinach. 


THE  PRESCHOOL  AGE. 


15 


THE  CHILD'S  FOOD.^ 

A  little  child  who  is  carefully  fed  in  accordance  with  his  bodily  needs  (as 
these  are  now  understood)  receives  every  day  at  least  one  food  from  each  of 
the  following  groups: 

1.  Milk  and  dishes  made  chiefly  of  milk   (most  important  of  the  group 

as   regards  children's   diet)  ;    meat,    fish,   poultry,    eggs,   and   meat 
substitutes. 

2.  Bread  and  other  cereal  foods. 

3.  Butter  and  other  wholesome  fats. 

4.  Vegetables  and  fruits. 

5.  Simple  sweets. 

The  following  bills  of  fare  are  simple,  easy  to  prepare,  sufficiently  varied,  and, 
if  well  prepared,  should  taste  good.  They  are  so  planned  that  milk  and  another 
food  from  group  1  and  a  food  from  each  of  the  other  groups  will  be  served  at 
least  once  a  day. 

BREAKFAST.* 


Orange    (juice  only  for   the  youngest 

children). 
Farina  with  milk. 
Bread  and  butter. 


Apple  sauce. 
Oatmeal  with  milk. 
Toast  and  butter. 


Baked  pears  (pulp  only 

est  children). 
Milk  toast. 
Cocoa. 

In  each  case  enough 
amount,  which  is  about 

Meat  soup. 
Egg  on  toast. 
String  beans. 
Rice  pudding. 


Stewed    prunes     (pulp    only    for    the 

youngest  children). 
Cornmeal  mush  and  milk. 
Toast  and  butter. 


Grape  fruit  (juice  only  for  the  young- 
est children). 

Milk  toast  with  grated  yolk  of  hard- 
boiled  egg. 


for  the  young- 
Apple    (scraped    for    very    little    chil- 
dren). 
Toast. 
Hot  milk. 

milk  should  be  given  to  make  up  the  required  daily 

a  quart. 

DINNER. 

Creamed  potatoes. 
Green  peas. 

Stewed    plums    with    thin    cereal-milk 
pudding. 


Roast  beef. 
Baked  potatoes. 
Asparagus. 
Bread  and  jelly. 


Lamb  stew  with  carrots  and  potatoes. 
Twice-baked  bread. 
Tapioca  custard. 


Baked  halibut. 

Boiled  potatoes. 

Stewed  celery. 

Boiled  rice  with  honey  or  sirup. 


Broiled  meat  cakes. 

Grits. 

Creamed  carrots. 

Bread,  butter,  and  sugar  sandwiches. 


1  Food  for  Young  Children,  Farmers'  Bulletin  717.  In  this  discussion  the  author  has 
arranged  the  food  groups  in  accordance  with  their  importance  in  the  diet  of  a  child.  For 
this  reason  the  order  of  the  groups  will  differ  from  that  given  in  the  preceding  pages. 

2  These  breakfasts  might  well  be  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  soft-boiled  or  coddled  egga. 


16 


CHILD  CARE. 


lu  each  case  enough  milk  shoukl  be  given  to  make  up  the  required  daily 
amount,  which  is  about  a  quart. 


Baked    potatoes;,    served    with    cream 

and  salt,  or  with  milk  gravy. 
Cookies. 


Bread  and  milk. 
Apple  sauce. 
Sponge  cake. 


Potato-milk  soup. 
Twice-baked  bread. 
Marmalade  sandAviches. 


Graham   cracker: 
Baked  custard. 


and   milk. 


Milk  toast. 
Stewed  peaches. 
Cup  cake. 


Celery-milk  soup. 

Toast. 

Floating  island.  , 


In  each  case  enough  milk  should  be  given  to  make  up  the  required  daily 
amount,  which  is  about  a  quart. 

Though  all  the  foods  mentioned  in  the  bills  of  fare  may  be  included  under 
five  heads,  the  diet  need  not  be  monotonous,  for  many  foods  come  under  each 
class.    The  different  groups  are  described  in  the  pages  that  follow. 

FOOD    GROUP    NO.    i.    MILK    AND    DISHES    MADE    CHIEFLY    FROM    IT;    FISH, 
POULTRY,    EGGS,   AND   MEAT  SUBSTITUTES. 

The  different  foods  mentioned  in  the  heading  of  this  group  have  enough  in 
common  to  warrant  bringing  them  together.  However,  milk  is  such  an  im- 
portant food  for  children  that  it  is  desirable  to  speak  of  it  by  itself. 

MILK    SERVED    IN    VARIOUS    WAYS. 

Milk  is  the  natural  food  of  babies  and  the  most  important  food  for  young 
children.  A  quart  of  milk  a  day  is  a  good  allowance  for  a  child.  The  greater 
part  of  this  is  usually  given  as  a  drink  or  served  on  cereals  or  in  the  form  of 
bread  and  milk.  Milk  may  also  be  served  on  fruits  that  are  not  very  acid 
(baked  apples  or  pears,  berries,  and  others),  in  soups,  gravies,  custard,  junket, 
and  other  puddings,  and  may  be  used  in  place  of  water  in  cooking  cereals. 

Milk,  being  a  liquid,  is  sometimes  classed  with  water,  tea,  and  coffee,  simply 
as  a  beverage,  by  those  who  do  not  understand  its  value  as  food.  This  is  a 
great  mistake.  If  all  the  water  were  to  be  driven  off  from  a  quart  of  tea  or 
coffee,  almost  nothing  would  be  left,  and  the  little  that  remained  would  have 
little  or  no  value  as  food.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  water  were  driven  off 
from  a  quart  of  whole  milk,  there  would  be  left  about  half  a  cupful  of  the 
very  best  food  substances,  including  butter  fat,  a  kind  of  sugar  not  so  sweet  as 
granulated  sugar  and  known  as  "  milk  sugar,"  and  also  materials  which  are 
needed  to  make  muscles,  bones,  teeth,  and  other  parts  of  the  body.  All  these 
valuable  food  substances  are  ordinarily  either  dissolved  or  floating  in  the  water 
of  milk. 

Besides  all  this  nourishment,  milk  contains  a  very  .small  amount  of  a  sub- 
stance or  substances  now  thought  to  help  the  body  of  the  child  to  make  good 
use  of  other  foods.  For  this  reason  milk  is  often  called  "  growth  promoting." 
Apparently  nothing  can  serve  so  well  a.s  the  basis  for  the  diet  of  the  healthy 
child.* 


^  See  also  "  Milk,  the  Indispensable  Food  for  Children,"  by  Dorothy  Reed  Mendenhall, 
M.  D.     U.  S.  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No.  35. 


THE  pbj:school  age.  17 

Good  wiiole  milk  is  desiuible.  but  if  a  mother  is  obliged  to  choose  between 
elean  milk  and  rich  milk,  she  had  better  take  the  clean  milk.  Best  of  all,  of 
course,  is  clean  Avhole  milk,  but  if  that  can  not  be  obtained  it  is  better  to  use 
/•lean  f"esh  skim  milk  than  dirty  or  questionable  whole  milk.  A  quart  of  skim 
milk,  even  separator  skim  milk,  contains  abo\it  a  third  of  a  cupful  of  solid 
food,  >vhich  is  nearly  all  thei-e  was  in  the  whole  milk,  except  the  butter  fat. 

When  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  get  fresh  milk,  condensed,  powdered,  or 
evapcraied  milk  may  be  used,  but  before  doing  this  parents  should  try  in  every 
way  to  get  fresh  milk  for  their  children. 

Compared  with  most  other  foods  milk  contains  much  lime  but  very  little  iron. 
Spinach  and  other  green  vegetables  and  egg  yolks  are.  on  the  other  hand,  very 
rich  in  iron.  This  is  one  reason  why  combinations  of  egg  yolks  and  milk  and 
of  vegetables  and  milk  are  mentioned  so  often  in  this  bulletin. 

When  milk  is  given  to  babies  the  chill  is  usually  taken  from  it.  It  is  safe 
to  do  this  for  all  young  children.  AVhen  milk  is  used  as  a  drink  it  should  be 
.•dipped,  not  gulped  down. 

Besides  being  served  as  a  beverage,  milk  is  often  combined  with  many  other 
Toods.  as  follows: 

Bread  and  tnilk. 

This  may  well  be  the  chief,  if  not  the  only  dish  in  the  supper  otf  little 
{•hildreu.  If  the  milk  is  not  very  rich,  the  bread  should  be  spread  with  butter. 
Use  well-bake<l  bread,  at  least  a  day  old.  or  toast,  or  occasionally  crackers. 

Cereals   and    )niJk. 

Thoroughly  cooked  cereals  served  once  a  day  for  the  first  course  and  once 
a  day  for  dessert  encourage  the  use  of  milk.  Directions  for  preparing  them 
will  be  found  on  pages  10  and  '2o.  Any  cereal  may  be  cooked  in  milk  besides 
being  sensed  with  it.  Skim  milk  which  might  otherwi.se  he  thrown  away  may 
oe  usetl  for  the  purpose.  Rice,  cooked  in  an  uncovered  double  boiler,  or  in  a 
pan  in  a  very  "  slow  "  oven,  can  be  made  to  absorb  about  six  times  its  volume 
(if  skim  milk.  To  cook  a  cupful  of  rice  in  this  way  instead  of  in  water  may 
be  considered  equivalent,  so  far  as  tissue-forming  materials  are  concerned, 
to  serving  it  with  half  a  pound  of  lean  beef. 

Milk   toa^t. 

The  following  is  a  good  method  for  making  milk  toast.  Put  on  the  table 
hot  crisp  toast  or  twice-baked  bread  (see  p.  24 »  and  a  pitcher  of  hot  milk, 
slightly  salted.  One-fourth  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  a  cupful  of  milk  is  suflScient. 
Pour  the  milk  over  the  toast  as  needed,  tising  hot  bowls  or  deep  saucers  for 
serving.  This  is  the  easiest  way  of  serving  milk  toast,  and,  if  care  is  taken 
to  have  all  the  dishes  hot  and  to  salt  the  milk,  it  is  usually  acceptable.  A 
supply  of  twice-baked  bread  can  be  kept  on  hand  and  heate<i  as  needed  to 
crisp  it. 

Another  way  to  make  milk  toast  is  to  thicken  milk  and  pour  it  over  toast. 
For  1  cup  of  milk  allow  li  level  teaspoons  of  flour  and  i  teaspoon  of  salt. 
Make  a  smooth  paste  out  of  the  flour,  salt,  and  a  little  of  the  milk.  Heat 
the  rest  of  the  milk ;  add  the  flour  and  milk  mixture  and  boil  for  about  5 
minutes,   stirring  constantly,  or  cook  20  minutes  in  a  double  boiler,   stirring 

79312°— IS— Bull.  SO 2 


18  CHILD   CARE. 

coustantly  at  first  and  frequently  later  on.  If  skim  milk  is  used,  a  level 
teaspoonful  of  butter  or  bacon  fat  should  be  added  after  the  gravy  is  prepared. 

An  easier  and  quicker  method  of  making  the  sauce  or  "  milk  gravy  "  is  to 
cook  the  flour  thoroughly  in  a  tablespoonful  of  fat  before  adding  the  milk. 
This,  however,  is  not  thought  to  be  so  wholesome  as  the  kind  of  gravy  in  which 
the  flour  is  cooked  in  the  milk. 

Milk  gravy  may  be  combined  with  dried  beef  or  salt  codfish  which  has  been 
cut  into  small  pieces  and  soaked  in  warm  water,  or  with  small  pieces  of 
tender  meat,  chicken,  fish,  or  vegetables.  Such  gravy  may  be  served  with 
toast,  with  baked  or  boiled  potatoes,  or  with  boiled  rice  or  other  cereals. 
Dishes  of  this  kind  are  more  suitable  for  dinner  than  for  supper. 

Milk  toast  with  the  yoke  of  a  hard-boiled  egg  grated  ove"  it  makes  an 
attractive  dish.  The  whites  of  the  hard-cooked  eggs  are  not  suitable  for  a 
young  child  nor  for  any  child  unless  they  are  finely  chopped  or  unless  the 
child  can  be  made  to  chew  them  well. 

Cocoa. 
For  variety,  milk  flavored  with  cocoa  may  be  served.  Prepared  cocoa  is  the 
most  convenient,  but  cracked  cocoa  shells  or  nibs,  which  require  long  boiling, 
may  be  used.  A  warm  drink,  made  chiefly  out  of  cocoa  and  water,  is  not  to  be 
confused  with  the  more  nourishing  drink  made  by  flavoring  milk  with  cocoa, 
but  it  has  its  uses.  Like  clear  soups,  which  contain  little  food  in  themselves,  it 
may  lead  the  child  to  eat  freely  of  bread  and  other  needed  foods. 

Milk  soups. 
Another  good  way  to  serve  milk  to  children  is  in  soups.  Milk-vegetable  soups 
are  made  from  cooked  vegetables,  chopped  or  strained,  which  in  this  form  may 
be  given  to  even  the  youngest  children,  and  milk  (whole  or  skim)  slightly 
thickened.  The  vegetable  may  be  asparagus,  peas,  beans  of  various  kinds, 
celery,  potatoes,  turnips,  carrots,  spinach,  kale,  chard,  beet  roots  or  greens, 
parsnips,  lettuce,  cress,  cauliflower,  or  almost  any  other. 

Oeneral  recipe  for  milk-vegetable  soups. 

2  cupfuls  of  milk.  §  of  a  cupful  of  a  thoroughly  cooked 

1  tablespoonful  of  flour.  vegetable,    finely    chopped,    mashed, 

1  tablespoonful  of  butter.  or  put  through  a  sieve. 

Salt. 

Thicken  the  milk  with  the  flour  as  for  milk  gravy ;  add  the  other  ingredients. 
If  the  soup  is  too  thick,  as  it  may  be  if  the  vegetable  is  starchy,  thin  it  with 
milk  or  water.  Milk-tomato  soup  is  not  recommended  for  the  youngest  children. 
When  it  is  served  a  little  soda  should  be  added  to  prevent  the  milk  from 
curdling. 


Milk  stew. 


2  tablespoonf uls  of  butter  or  bacon  fat. 
1  cupful  of  codfish  cut  into  small  pieces 
or  just  enough  to  flavor  the  stew. 


1  quart  of  milk. 

1  cupful  raw  potatoes  cut  into  small 

pieces. 

Soak  the  fish  in  lukewarm  water  until  it  is  soft  and  the  salt  removed.  Cook 
the  potatoes  in  water  until  tender,  drain  them,  add  the  milk  and  codfish,  and 
bring  to  the  boiling  point ;  add  the  butter,  and  salt  to  taste. 

In  place  of  the  codfish  any  othec  salt  or  fresh  fish,  oysters,  or  a  little  chipped 
beef  may  be  used.  Or  the  fish  may  be  omitted  and  the  soup  made  savory  and 
palatable  by  adding  a  few  drops  of  onion  juice,  or  a  vegetable  cut  into  small 
pieces  and  cooked  thoroughly. 


THE   PRESCHOOL    AGE. 


19 


Cereal-milk  puddings. 

Puddings  made  with  milk  and  bread,  rice,  or  some  other  cereal  food,  have 
:ong  been  recognized  as  desirable  in  the  child's  diet. 

Such  milk  puddings  as  old-fashioned  rice  or  Indian  pudding  may  be  the 
means  of  serving  much  milk  in  a  wholesome  way.  From  the  following  recipe 
for  rice  pudding  other  recipes  can  be  easily  made,  the  proportions  in  all  cases 
oeing  about  the  same: 


Rice  pudding. 


1  quart  of  milk. 
i  cupful  of  rice. 
i  cupful  of  sugar. 
*  tea.spoonful  of  .salt. 


J  tea.sijoonful  of  ground  nutmeg,  or 
cinnamon,  or  the  grated  rind  of  \  of 
a  lemon. 


Wash  the  rice  thoroughly,  mix  the  ingretlients,  and  bake  three  hours  or  more 
(O  a  very  slow  oven,  stirring  occasionally  at  first. 

General  recipe  for  cereal-milk  puddings. 

For  a  quart  of  milk  allow  one-third  of  a  cupful  of  any  coarse  cereal  (rice, 
corn  meal,  cracketl  wheat,  oatmeal,  or  barley)  and  one-third  of  a  cupful  ot 
Drown,  white,  or  maple  sugar,  sirup,  honey,  or  molasses ;  one-half  teaspoonful 
of  salt;  one-eighth  teaspoouful  of  spice.  The  flavoring  may  be  omitted  when 
honey  or  molasses  is  used. 

The  above  recipe  makes  quite  a  large  pudding.  It  is  often  convenient  to 
make  a  smaller  one,  and  enough  for  a  child's  dinner  can  be  made  in  the  double 
boiler,  allowing  2  level  or  1  rounding  tablespoouful  each  of  cereal  and  of  sugar 
(or  other  sweet)  to  a  cui^ful  of  salted  and  flavored  milk.  Cook  an  hour  or 
more  without  covering. 

These  puddings,  if  made  tliin,  may  be  poured  over  steweil  prunes  or  other 
cooked  fruits,  and  are  a  good  and  economical  substitute  for  the  cream  or  soft 
custard  usually  used  for  that  purpo.se. 

Custard  and  other  milk  puddings. 

There  are  many  other  milk  dishes  which  are  used  in  the  same  way  as  this 
oiilk  and  cereal  pudding.    Recipes  for  some  of  them  follow : 

Junket,  or  "  rennet  custard,"  is  milk  that  has  been  coagulated  or  curdled,  a 
process  not  unlike  one  of  the  first  steps  in  digestion.  The  curdling  is  brought 
about  by  the  addition  of  *'  junket  tablets  "  to  the  milk.  Milk  containing  rennet 
will,  if  not  disturbed,  "  set "  in  one  piece  resembling  a  custard.  .Junket  differs 
iittle  from  milk  in  food  value  except  for  the  presence  of  the  sugar  used  for 
flavoring,  but  it  gives  variety  to  the  diet.  If  served  very  cold  it  is  refreshing 
in  warm  weather. 

Junket. 


2  cupfuls  of  milk. 

i  cupful  of  sugar,  honey,  or  sirup. 

1  junket  tablet. 


i  teaspoonful  of  salt. 

A  few  grains  of  nutmeg  or  cinnamon. 


Warm  the  milk  to  about  the  temperature  of  the  body,  crush  the  tablet,  and 
add  it  with  the  other  ingredients  to  the  milk.  Pour  into  one  large  or  several 
small  dishes  and  place  in  a  warm  (not  hot)  place  to  harden.  Cool  before 
serving. 


20  CHILD   CARE. 

Boiled  cusiard. 


3  egg  yolks. 

2  cupfuls  of  milk. 

i  cupful  of  sugar,  honey,  or  sirup. 


i  teaspoonful  of  salt. 
Flavoring. 


Heat  the  milk  in  a  double  boiler.  Thoroughly  mix  the  eggs  and  sugar  and 
pour  the  milk  over  them.  Return  the  mixture  to  the  double  boiler  and  heat  it 
until  it  thickens,  stirring  constantly.  Cool  and  flavor.  If  the  custard  curdles, 
remove  it  from  the  fire  and  beat  vpith  an  egg  beater.  This  custard  may  be 
served  in  place  of  cream  on  many  kinds  of  dessert. 

Floating  island. 

In  this  dish  the  whites  of  eggs  left  over  from  boiled  custard  can  be  used  to 
serve  with  it.  Beat  the  whites  until  stiff ;  sweeten  them  a  little ;  and  cook 
them  in  a  covered  dish  over  water  which  is  hot  but  not  boiling ;  or  cook  them  on 
top  of  the  hot  milk  which  is  to  be  used  in  making  custard.  Lift  them  out  with 
a  wire  egg  beater  or  split  spoon,  and  place  on  top  of  the  custard.  Decorate  with 
small  bits  of  jelly. 

Tapioca  custard. 

Tapioca  custards  may  be  made  as  follows :  Add  to  the  list  of  ingredients  for 
boiled  custard  one-fourth  cupful  of  pearl  tapioca.  Soak  the  tapioca  in  water 
for  an  hour  or  two,  drain  it,  and  cook  in  the  milk  until  it  is  transparent.  Pro- 
ceed as  for  boiled  custard. 

Baked  custard. 

In  making  allow  1  egg  and  2  level  teaspoonfuls  of  sugar  and  a  few  grains  of 
salt  and  of  nutmeg  for  each  cupful  of  milk.  Beat  the  eggs  slightly  and  add  the 
other  ingredients.    Bake  in  cups  set  in  a  pan  of  water  in  a  moderate  oven. 

Simple  ice  creams. 

In  the  way  they  are  used,  ice  cream  and  frozen  custard  may  be  grouped  with 
the  puddings.  Plain  ice  cream  made  out  of  thin  cream,  sweetened  and  flavored, 
or  out  of  cream  and  custard  mixed,  may  be  given  to  children  occasionally. 

A  good  ice  cream  may  be  made  as  follows :  Allow  one-fourth  cupful  of  sugar 
to  each  cupful  of  thin  cream  (half  milk  and  half  cream)  ;  flavor  and  freeze. 

A  frozen  custard,  commonly  called  by  housekeepers  "  ice  cream  "  or  "  French 
ice  cream,"  which  contains  eggs  as  well  as  milk  and  cream,  may  be  made  as 
follows :  For  each  half  cupful  of  milk  allow  one-fourth  cupful  of  sugar,  one  or 
tAvo  egg  yolks  or  one  whole  egg,  and  a  half  cupful  of  cream.  Make  a  custard 
out  of  all  the  ingredients  but  the  cream.  When  it  is  cool,  flavor  it,  add  the 
cream,  and  freeze. 

Caramel  flaporiny  for  use  in  custards,  ice  creams,  and  other  desserts. 

An  economical  flavoring  for  any  of  the  above  desserts  may  be  made  by  brown- 
ing or  caramelizing  ordinary  sugar.  To  each  cupful  of  sugar  add  one-fourth 
of  a  cupful  of  water.  Heat  until  well  browned,  stirring  constantly  even  after 
the  dish  has  been  taken  from  the  fire,  and  until  the  danger  of  burning  in  the 
hot  dish  is  passed.  Before  the  mixture  hardens,  add  hot  water  and  cook  until 
it  is  about  the  consistency  of  thick  sirup.    Bottle  and  save  for  use  as  needed. 


THE   PBESCHOOL  AGE.  21 

MEAT,    FISH.     I'OILTRY,     KGGS,     AND    MEAT    SLTBSTITUTES. 

The  Other  foods  included  in  group  1  Avith  milk  (considered  by  far  the  mc'^r 
important  of  them  all  for  children)  are  meat,  fish,  poultry,  eggs,  and  meat 
substitutes. 

In  some  families  cliildren  do  not  get  enough  meat  and  eggs ;  in  others  they 
get  too  much.  A  good  general  rule  commonly  followed  is  to  give  a  child  2 
years  old  or  over,  an  egg  every  other  day  and  about  the  same  amount  (2  ounces) 
of  meat,  fish,  or  poultry  on  the  days  that  come  between.  If  for  any  reason 
meat  is  omitted  from  the  child's  diet  special  care  must  be  taken  to  see  that 
other  suitable  foods  take  its  place — preferably  an  extra  amount  of  milk  or  egg<?. 

Broiling  and  roasting  are  the  best  methotls  of  preparing  tender  meat.  Tough 
meat  should  be  stewe<l  or  prepared  in  a  fireless  cooker,  or  first  chopped  and 
then  broiled. 

It  is  important  to  teach  children  to  chew  meat  and  other  foods  i)roperly. 

Fried  meals,  particularly  those  which  are  pan  fried  or  cooked  in  a  small 
amount  of  fat,  should  not  be  given  to  young  children.  One  reason  for  this  is 
that  they  are  likely  to  be  overcookinl  and  tough,  at  least  on  the  outside,  and 
so  are  likely  not  to  be  properly  chewed  and  to  be  swallowed  in  large  pieces. 
Another  reason  is  that  the  fat  used  in  frying  and  also  that  which  tries  out  of 
the  meat  is  likely  to  be  scorched  and  changed  in  composition.  AVhen  this  is  the 
case,  it  is  almost  certain  to  be  harmful. 

Some  recipes  for  cooking  meat  for  children  follow : 

Broiled  chopped  meat. 

Many  cuts  of  meat  too  tough  to  be  broiled  whole  may  be  prepared  very  satis- 
factorily by  being  cliopped,  salted,  and  l)roil<j>d.  Allow  about  one-half  teaspoon- 
ful  of  salt  to  a  pound  of  meat.  For  very  little  children  the  meat  should  be 
scraped  instead  of  being  chopped,  for  in  this  way  the  connective  tissue  is  taken 
out.  An  egg  or  a  little  milk  may  also  be  added.  The  most  important  point  is 
careful  handling,  for  if  the  meat  is  pressed  together  it  becomes  tough  and  hard. 
If  a  wire  broiler  is  used,  the  cakes  should  not  be  squeezed  between  the  two 
sides.  To  avoid  this,  lay  them  on  top  of  the  broiler  and  turn  them  with  a  knife 
and  fork. 

Meat  dlcifs. 

Stews  made  out  of  meat  and  vegetables  offer  a  very  great  variety  of  dishes, 
good  in  themselves  and  good  also  because  they  encourage  the  eating  of  bread. 
The  meat  used  should,  of  course,  be  in  good  condition,  but  need  not  be  from  a 
tender  cut.  The  lower-priced  cuts  may  be  useil  with  good  results,  provided 
they  are  made  tender  by  long,  slow  cooking.  Any  vegetable  may  be  added,  in- 
cluding the  tougher  parts  of  lettuce,  and  the  leaves  of  celery.  Rice,  bai-ley, 
macaroni,  or  even  crusts  of  stale  bread  may  be  used  in  the  stew  to  give  va- 
riety. A  stew  containing  a  little  meat,  with  one  or  more  vegetables  and  a 
cereal,  comes  near  to  supplying  all  the  needed  foods,  other  than  milk. 


Mciit  slew. 


2  pounds  of  one  of  the  cheaper  cuts  of 

beef. 
4    cups    of    potatoes    cut    into    small 

pieces. 
§  cup  each  of  turnips  and  carrots  cut 

into  4-inch  cubes. 


i  onion,  chopped. 
i  cup  of  Hour. 
Salt. 


'""^  CHILD   CARE, 


Cut  the  meat  into  small  pieces,  cover  with  boiling  water  hoil  fnv  fi^o  ^-     * 

and  then  cook  at  a  lower  temperature  until  the  lT^\elr     tIIZTT^ 

Quu-e  about  three  hours  on  the  stove  or  five  hours  in  the  fireless  choker     Add 

he  carrots,  turnips,  onions,  and  salt  during  the  last  houi   o?  c<ZZ'.      ^ 

^eard  :hen\?verabrar ;;  T  ""^^^  ^^^^^  ''^  ~  ™  ^ 
There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  keeping  a  soup  pot  on  the  stove  all  thp 
t.me  provided  great  care  is  taken  not  to  allow  the  contents  toTowtaTe 
fro'  H  Tk,  "'"''  ^"  ''"'^  ''''''''''  "*  ""^^^'^^d  food  and  also  clean  folds  left 
from  the  table,  such  as  meat,  milk,  mashed  potatoes,  or  other  vegetables  crusts 
cold  cereal  mushes,  and  even  fruits.  Soups  made  from  such  maS^L  may  not' 
have  great  nutritive  value,  but,  like  those  made  out  of  materials  bought  for  Z 

z:^^:t''''  "^  - '' '  ^--  --^  -  -ac;:pttta?f 


Poultry/. 


«.?'f  ™7  '°*r  """  "*  "^^  ">'■  ""■'^'y  "■  «  ''"""•s  diet  and  are  palatable 
(SreX)  or  rlLTa"        '"'  "  """"'  '"""  ^'"'^'  "^"'^  --"-^  «""«•■« 


Fish, 


The  use  of  cured  fish,  fresh  fish,  and  oysters  in  stews  has  been  sDoken  rC 
above.    Boiled  or  stewed  fish  is  also  good  for  variety. 


Ifed^  sul)stitutes. 


fnill  f  eggs,  as  stated  above,  are  common  meat  substitutes.  Among  vege- 
table toods.dned  beans,  peas,  lentils,  and  cowpeas.  which  are  often  classed 
together  and  called  legumes,  are  the  best  substitutes  for  meat  in  the  dS  of 
Older  peope,  chiefly  oecause  they  have  large  amounts  of  nitrogen  needed  for 
muscle  bunding.  In  this  respect  they  have  some  advantage,  though  not  a  grea 
one.  over  c-ereals.  Beans  and  tl.e  other  legumes  are  not  to  be  recommended X 
young  chUdren  except  when  milk,  meat,  eggs,  fish,  and  poultry  are  no^t  be 
obtained.     When  used  they  should  be  cooked  until  they  are  reduced  to  a  mush 

^uTa  iZ  '-'  ""^^  "  "  ^'"^^  ''  ''  --  -  -^  -  --  ^-mt 

o^^zi:^:^  ''^''  "^'^  ^^-^^  ^^^^^'  ^-^'  ^-*^^^'  --^-«'  -^ 

Soup  from  dried  beans  or  other  legumes. 


1  cup  dried  legumes. 

1  quart  of  water  or  soup  stock. 

2  tablespoonfuls   of  butter  or  savory 
fat. 


2  tablespoonfuls  of  flour. 
Salt  and  other  flavoring. 


Soak  tJie  dned  legumes  in  water  over  night.  Drain,  add  the  water  or  stock 
cook  Slowly  on  top  of  the  stove  for  three  hours  or  in  a  fireless  cooker  for  fau; 
or  five  hours  or  until  tender.  Renew  the  water  as  it  boils  away.  Strain  and 
thicken  with  the  fat  and  flour  rubbed  together.  These  soups  may  be  flavored 
in   many  ways.     Sometimes  a  tomato,  onion,  a  few  celery  tops,  a  sprig  of 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  23 

, ,  or  a  mixture  of  vegetables  is  boiled  with  the  beans  or  peas,  or  just 
onLore  serving  a  few  drops  of  onion  juice,  a  little  celery  salt,  or  one-half  level 
teaspoonful  of  curry  powder  is  added.^  Sometimes  the  water  used  is  that  in 
which  ham  or  other  meat  has  been  boiled,  but  in  such  cases  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  have  the  liquid  too  fatty. 

Eggs. 

Eggs  are  especially  useful  food  for  young  children.  The  chief  point  to  re- 
member in  preparing  them  for  children  is  that  they  must  not  be  overcooked  or 
they  are  likely  to  cause  indigestion,  as  experience  has  shown.  Everyone  knows 
how  the  heat  of  cooking  hardens  the  egg,  and  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  the 
digestive  juices  might  have  difficulty  in  penetrating  such  hard  substance  as  the 
white  of  a  hard-boiled  egg.  Overcooked  yolks  are  also  thought  to  be  hard  to 
digest.  However,  when  eggs  are  cooked  in  the  shell,  the  heat  reaches  the 
white  before  it  does  the  yolk,  and  so  there  is  more  danger  of  the  white  being 
overcooked  than  of  the  yolk.  The  best  ways  of  sening  eggs  for  children  are 
poached,  soft-boiled,  or  coddled,  though  they  may  be  scrambled  for  a  change  if 
one  is  careful  not  to  scorch  the  fat  used  or  to  overcook  the  egg. 

Coddled  eggs. 

Many  means  have  been  suggested  for  cooking  eggs  in  such  a  way  that  the 
yolks  will  be  cooked  and  the  whites  will  not  be  overcooked.  One  of  the  most 
satisfactory  is  by  coddling,  which  is  done  as  follows :  Allow  a  cupful  of  water  to 
each  egg,  bring  the  water  to  the  boiling  point,  remove  it  from  the  fire,  put  in 
the  eggs,  cover  the  dish  closely,  and  leave  the  eggs  in  the  water  for  about 
seven  minutes.  There  is  some  uncertainty  about  this  method,  for  eggs  differ 
in  weight  and  also  in  temperature  at  the  time  the  cooking  begins.  On  the 
whole,  however,  this  method  can  be  depended  on  more  than  others.  Good  re- 
sults can  be  obtained  by  pouring  hot  water  over  the  eggs,  if  the  same  dish  with 
the  same  amount  of  water  is  always  used,  but  each  cook  must  make  her  own 
rules. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  2.  BREAD  AND  OTHER  CEREAL  FOODS. 

Cereal  foods  of  some  sort  are  used  by  children  practically  all  over  the  world. 
Bread  is  the  commonest  cereal  food  in  this  country,  though  cereal  mushes  are 
also  very  generally  used.  Well-baked  bread  and  thoroughlj-  cooked  breakfast 
cereals  are  both  good  for  children  and  with  milk  should  make  up  a  large  part  of 
the  diet.  These  two  foods,  bread  and  breakfast  cereals,  provide  almost  the 
same  kinds  of  nourishment.  Bread  may  therefore  take  the  place,  to  a  certain 
extent,  of  cereal  mushes  and  cereal  mushes  may  take  the  place  of  bread,  but 
neither  can  take  the  place  of  milk,  meat,  eggs,  fruits,  and  vegetables. 

An  ordinary  slice  of  bread  (a  |-inch  slice  cut  from  an  ordinary  loaf)  is 
equal  in  food  value  to  about  half  a  ciipful  of  boiled  or  steamed  cereal  and  to 
about  a  cupful  of  puffed  or  flaked  cereal.  The  mother  who  must  feed  her 
child  very  economically  should  calculate  the  cost  of  each  and  decide  which  is 
cheapest. 

The  relation  of  food  to  the  condition  of  the  bowels  is  an  important  matter. 
Grains,  particularly  those  containing  the  outer  or  branny  layers  or  coats,  are 
laxative;  so,  too,  are  such  mildly  acid  fruits  as  apples,  oranges,  and  grapefruit. 
So  far,  therefore,  as  the  important  matter  of  preventing  constipation  is  con- 
cerned, coarse  grains  and  mildly  acid  fruits  serve  the  same  purpose.     When 

1  Strong  seasoning  is  not  suitable  for  the  younger  children. 


24  CHILD  CABE. 

fruits  are  to  be  obtained  in  abundance,  the  kind  of  cereal  served  is  not  of  great 
importance.  When  they  are  not,  the  coarser  cereals  should  be  used.  In  the 
case  of  both  cereals  and  fruits,  it  is  possible  to  overdo.  Sometimes  the  coarser 
parts,  such  as  bran  and  skin,  do  not  agree  with  the  child  and,  under  these 
circumstances,  they  should  be  removed  from  the  food  before  it  is  served.  Some 
mothers  find  it  necessary  to  strain  oatmeal  porridge,  for  example,  and  to  remove 
the  skins  of  apples. 


The  yeast-raised  bread  given  to  young  children  should  be  at  least  a  day  old 
or  should  be  toasted  or  twice  baked.  Most  liot  breads  are  likely  to  be  swal- 
lowed in  large  pieces  and  are  therefore  not  desirable.  Hot  breads  which  are 
almost  all  crust,  like  thin  tea  biscuits  or  crisp  rolls,  are  least  likely  to  cause 
trouble. 

MII.K    TOAST. 

This  very  common  bread  dish  has  been  discussed  xmder  milk.     (See  p.  17.) 

TWICE-BAKED    BBEAD. 

Bread  cut  or  torn  into  small  pieces  and  heated  in  a  very  slow  oven  until 
thoroughly  dried  and  very  delicately  browned  is  good  food  for  children.  The 
warming  oven  of  a  coal  stove  is  about  hot  enough  for  this  purpose.  In  the  case 
of  gas  ovens  it  is  often  difficult  to  get  the  gas  low  enough  without  having  the 
door  open  a  little  way.  The  advantage  of  teaiing  instead  of  cutting  the 
bread  is  that  it  makes  it  lighter  in  texture  and  easier  to  eat.  The  crust  can  be 
torn  off  from  all  but  the  ends  of  a  loaf  of  bread  in  one  piece.  This  crust  should 
be  torn  into  pieces  about  2  inches  wide.  The  inside  of  an  ordinary  loaf  of 
bread  will  make  16  pieces  of  convenient  size.  Tear  first  across  the  loaf  and 
then  tear  each  half  into  eight  pieces.  It  is  usually  necessary  to  make  a  small 
cut  first  in  order  to  start  the  tearing.  It  is  well  to  keep  the  crusts  separate, 
as  otherwise  they  are  likely  to  get  too  brown.  Such  bread  will  need  to  be 
reheated  before  being  served  unless  it  is  kept  in  a  warm  place,  like  a  warm- 
ing oven. 

The  above  is  also  a  good  way  to  use  stale  bread.  Some  people  crush  it  and 
use  it  with  milk  as  a  breakfast  food. 

BREAKFAST   CEREALS. 

Cereal  mushes  and  other  breakfast  cereals  are  very  common  foods.  Almost 
all  of  the  well-known  grains  are  used  for  this  purpose,  and  there  are  many 
such  products,  owing  to  differences  in  manufacture. 

Except  Avhen  used  for  dessert,  cereal  mushes  and  ready-to-eat  cereals  should 
be  served  with  milk  and  with  very  little,  if  any,  sugar.  If  the  cereals  are 
heavily  sweetened,  children  are  likely  to  eat  so  much  that  they  neglect  other 
and  much-needed  foods.  If  carefully  salted,  mushes  are  more  likely  to  satisfy 
the  taste  without  sugar  than  otherwise.  Well-cooked  cereals  with  milk  or 
stewed  fruit  or  a  little  molasses,  sirup,  honey,  or  sugar  make  good  desserts 
for  dinner,  lunch,  or  supper.  If  preferred,  dried  fruit,  like  dates  and  raisins, 
may  be  cooked  with  the  cereal  to  sweeten  it  and  to  give  flavor. 

3  See  Bread  and  Bread  Making  in  the  Home,  Farmecs'  Bulletin  No.  807,  for  recipes. 


THE    PRESCHOOL    AGE.  25 

COOKING  C5KEAL  BKEAKFAST  FOODS. 

It  is  hard  to  give  general  rules  for  cooking  cereals,  for  there  are  so  many 
kinds,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  no  danger  of  overcooking  and  much 
danger  of  undercooking  them.  Some  grains  need  longer  cooking  than  others; 
corn  meal,  for  example,  needs  at  least  three  hours  and  rice  hardly  more 
than  half  an  hour.  In  general,  whole  grains,  like  Avhole  wheat,  or  grains  more 
or  less  finely  broken,  like  cracked  wheat,  re^iuire  longer  cooking  (three  hours 
at  least)  than  more  tinely  gi-ound  grains,  such  as  farina  (which  should  be 
cooked  one  hour  at  least).  Breakfast  foods  made  from  grains  with  the  outer 
coverings  left  on  require  more  cooking  than  those  with  the  outer  covering  re- 
riioved — whole  barley,  for  example,  more  than  pearl  barley.  Many  cereal  foods, 
I)articularly  the  rolled  and  tlaked  types,  have  been  partially  cooked  at  the  fac- 
tory. These  require  less  cooking  in  the  home  than  those  which  have  had  no 
such  treatment ;  but  if  they  are  to  be  served  to  children  such  cereals  should 
he  cooked  at  home  for  at  least  an  hour.  There  are  also  cereal  breakfast  foods 
which  have  been  still  more  thoroughly  cooked  at  the  factorj',  either  by  parch- 
ing in  addition  to  flaking  or  by  some  other  special  method.  These  are  im- 
proved by  putting  them  into  the  oven  long  enough  at  least  to  crisp  them. 

Oatmeal,  corn  meal,  and  many  other  granular  cereals  can  be  put 
directly  into  cold  water  and  cooked  satisfactorily  in  a  double  boiler 
without  stirring,  the  method  l>eing  particularly^  good  in  the  case  of 
corn  meal,  which  is  likely  to  be  lumpy  if  stirred  into  hot  water.  A 
convenient  method  for  cooking  cereals  is  to  mix  with  the  usual  quantity 
of  water,  bring  to  the  boiling  point,  boil  for  three  or  four  minutes,  jiud 
then  put  into  a  flreless  cooker  and  leave  10  or  12  hours.  Porridge  or  mush 
made  in  this  way  must  be  reheated  before  serving. 

The  quantity  of  water  required  differs  with  the  cereal.  A  cupful  of 
rolled  oats  requires  at  least  2  cupfuls  of  water ;  oatmeal  or  corn  meal, 
4  cupfuls ;  and  rice,  3  cupfuls. 

A  level  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  a  cupful  of  cereal  will  usually  be  right, 
but  it  is  well  to  experiment  a  little  with  an  unfamiliar  cereal,  since  failure 
to    salt   mushes   properly    very    often    leads    children    to    dislike    them. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  3-  BUTTER,  CREAM,  TABLE  OIL,  AND  OTHER  FATTY  FOODS. 

Fat  is  an  important  part  of  the  food  of  children.  This  is  not  surprising, 
for  it  is  found  in  considerable  amounts  in  hunum  milk,  the  natural  food 
for  babies.  Butter.  A\hich  consists  chiefly  of  the  separated  milk  fat,  and 
cream,  which  is  rich  in  milk. fat  and  also  in  the  other  nourishing  sub- 
stances of  milk,  are  both  wholesome.  Salad  oils  of  various  kinds  (olive, 
fottont-eed,  peanut,  and  others 'i  may  be  given  to  children  in  small  amounts. 
Those  who  are  not  used  to  table  oil  must  often  be  trained  to  like  it.  This 
can  usually  be  done  bj'  introducing  it  very  gradually  into  the  diet.  A 
good  way  to  serve  it  is  on  spinach  and  other  greens  or  on  tender  salad 
vegetables. 

There  is  more  than  an  ounce  of  fat  (at  least  2^  level  tablespoonfuls)  in 
a  quart  of  whole  milk.  If  the  healthy  child  is  given  a  quart  of  milk,  has 
butter  on  its  bread,  and  meat  or  an  egg  once  a  day.  he  gets  enough  fat 
and  that  which  he  receives  is  in  wholesome  form.  It  is  well,  therefore,  not  to 
give  such  fatty  foods  as  pastry,  fried  meats  and  vegetables,  and  doughnuts  or 
rich  cakes,  for  in  these  the  fats  are  not  in  so  good  a  form  for  children,  as 
experience  has  shown.  If  the  child  is  constipated,  the  (occasional  use  of  cream 
or  salad  oil  is  desirable,  for  fat  in  abundance  is  laxative.^ 

^  In  some  cases  constipation  may  be  clue  to  too  much  fat  in  tbe  diet.  Dry  and  putty- 
colored  stools  may  indicate  an  ovcrsupply  of  fat. 


26  CHILD  CAEE. 

Bacon  or  salt  pork,  cut  very  thin  and  farefully  cooked,  may  be  given 
occasionally,  but  thick  pieces  with  much  lean  are  not  desirable.  In  pre- 
paring bacon  or  salt  pork  it  is  very  important  not  to  burn  the  fat.  To 
avoid  this  they  should  be  cooked  in  one  of  the  following  ways:  Put  the 
slices  on  a  broiler  or  wire  frame  over  a  pan ;  place  the  pan  into  a  hot  oven 
and  cook  long  enough  to  remove  most  of  the  fat.  Or  keep  a  pan  on  purpose 
for  cooking  bacon  on  top  of  a  stove  and  let  the  fat  which  fries  out  of 
it  collect  in  the  pan,  taking  care  that  none  is  burned.  In  time  so  much  fat 
will  collect  that  bacon  can  be  dropped  into  this  hot  fat  and  will  be  less 
likely  to  burn  than  if  placed  on  a  hot  pan. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  4.  VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS. 

Two  very  valuable  kinds  of  food  are  here  grouped  together,  namely,  vege- 
tables and  fruits.  This  is  done  because  they  are  similar  in  that  both  kinds 
supply  iron,  lime,  and  other  mineral  matter  to  the  body,  and  also  mild  acids 
(not  always  in  such  amounts  that  one  can  taste  them),  such  as  those  which  are 
found  in  oranges,  apples,  and  tomatoes. 

Vegetables  are  an  important  but  often  a  neglected  part  of  a  child's  diet. 
They  should  be  served  at  least  once  a  day,  as  they  help  to  keep  the  bowels  in 
good  condition.  Several  of  the  ways  of  accustoming  the  child  to  the  taste  ot 
unfamiliar  vegetables  have  already  been  suggested  here.  They  may  be  used  as 
flavoring  for  soups  and  stfews,  may  be  added  to  milk  or  meat  stews,  or  served 
with  meat  gravy.  If  gravy  is  used,  it  should  not  be  too  fat  nor  made  with 
scorched  fat. 

Young  children  may  be  given  the  young  and  tender  parts  of  celery  and 
lettuce,  a  satisfactory  way  of  serving  being  in  the  form  of  sandwiches.  For 
this  purpose  they  should  be  slightly  salted  and  the  celery  should  be  chopped  or 
cut  into  small  pieces. 

All  vegetables,  whether  served  raw  or  cooked,  should  be  washed  with  great 
care.  Large  vegetables  like  potatoes  and  carrots  should  be  scrubbed  with  a 
brush.  Greens  should  be  washed  leaf  by  leaf  under  running  water,  or  in  a 
large  amount  of  water.  In  the  latter  any  sand  which  clings  to  them  is  likely 
to  sink.  To  prevent  it  from  again  getting  on  the  vegetables  lift  them  from  the 
water  instead  of  pouring  the  water  off. 

Most  vegetables  when  served  as  a  separate  dish  should  be  either  steamed, 
boiled,  baked,  or  stewed.  If  the  supply  of  fresh  vegetables  is  not  generous,  the 
juice  in  which  they  are  cooked  should  be  used  with  them  as  far  as  possible,  or 
put  into  soups  or  stews. 

Experience  has  shown  that  vegetables,  particularly  green  vegetables,  are  at 
their  best  when  cooked  until  tender,  but  not  until  completely  wilted.  Spinach 
requires  cooking  from  20  to  30  minutes.^ 

Vegetables  should  be  served  either  quite  simply  or  with  a  little  milk,  cream» 
or  butter,  to  improve  or  vary  the  flavor.  As  said  before,  oil  may  be  served  on 
greens  instead  of  butter.  These  simple  methods  are  better  than  complicated 
ones  like  frying  or  scalloping.  For  the  smallest  children  such  vegetables  as 
greens  should  be  finely  chopped,  and  if  the  tougher  portions  of  other  vegetables, 
the  skins  of  green  peas,  for  example,  are  found  to  disagree  with  a  child, 
these  portions  should  be  removed  by  putting  the  cooked  vegetable  through  a 
sieve.  No  such  vegetables  as  raw  radishes  or  cucumbers,  which  might  easily 
be  swallowed  in  lai'ge  pieces,  should  be  given  to  small  children. 

^  Recent  experiments  show  that  when  spinach  is  boiled  it  loses  twice  as  much  of  its 
mineral  constituents  as  when  it  is  steamed.  "  Some  analyses  of  vegetables  showing  the 
effect  of  the  method  of  cooking,"  in  American  Journal  of  Diseases  of  Children  (July, 
1917),  pp.  34  to  40. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  27 

Fruits,  which  with  vegetables  make  up  group  4,  are  also  very  important 
in  the  child's  diet.  They  supply  mild  acids,  and  they  are  important  for 
their  flavor,  for  their  laxative  effects,  and  no  doubt  for  other  reasons  also.  This 
laxative  effect  is  well  recognized  in  the  very  general  use  of  orange  juice, 
prunes,  and  apples.  Then,  too,  the  fruits,  like  the  vegetables,  have  mineral 
elements  which  the  body  requires. 

Fruits  should  be  served  in  some  form  at  least  once  a  day.  In  general, 
the  same  rule  should  be  followed  as  for  vegetables  in  deciding  in  what 
form  they  should  be  served.  Fruit  juices  and  the  pulp  of  cooked  fruit, 
baked  apples  and  pears,  and  stewed  prunes,  for  example,  are  safest.  Whether 
the  skins  should  be  given  depends  partly  on  the  age  and  health  of  the  child 
and  partly  on  the  way  the  fruit  is  prepared.  If  the  skins  are  very  tender, 
they  are  not  likely  to  cause  trouble,  except  with  very  young  children.  When 
apples  and  pears  are  baked  the  skins  can  be  made  tender  by  frequent  basting. 

FOOD   GROUP  NO.  5.   SIMPLE  SWEETS. 

Simple  sweets  are  such  things  as  lump  sugar,  maple  sugar,  sirups,  honey, 
and  plain  candy,  and  those  foods  in  which  sugar  is  combined  in  simple 
forms  with  fruit  juices  (in  lemonade,  water  ice  jelly,  etc.),  with  flour  or 
starch,  as  in  plain  cakes  (cup  cake,  sponge  cake,  cookies),  and  with  fruit, 
as  in  jams,  marmalades,  and  similar  things.  Sweets  which  contain  much 
fat,  like  rich  cakes  and  pastry,  and  foods  which  are  made  rich  with  nuts 
or  dried  or  candied  fruits,  or  those  which  are  highly  flavored  or  spiced,  can 
not  be  classed  as  simple  sweets. 

Sugar  is  a  desirable  part  of  the  diet,  and  the  only  objection  which  cau 
be  raised  to  its  use  in  reasonable  amounts  in  a  mixed  diet  is  that  it  is  some- 
times allowed  to  take  the  place  of  foods  whicli  come  under  the  first  four 
groups  mentioned  in  this  bulletin,  and  so  spoils  the  child's  appetite  for  those 
other  important  things.  Under  these  conditions  it  is  harmful,  because  its 
improper  use  has  led  to  bad  food  habits.  Sweets  should  not  be  given  be- 
tween meals  or  during  the  first  course  of  a  meal.  Careful  mothers  who  forbid 
their  children  eating  candy  at  odd  times  sometimes  give  one  or  two  pieces 
of  wholesome  candy  as  a  "  treat "  with  dessert  at  dinner. 

A  REVIEW, 

In  the  foregoing  pages  some  general  principles  which  should  govern  the 
young  child's  diet  have  been  stated  and  facts  given  about  foods  the  cliild 
should  have  and  about  cooking  them. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  mother  might  ask  herself  questions  like  the 
following  to  make  sure  that  she  has  taken  into  account  the  things  to  which 
her  attention  has  been  directed : 

Did  each  child  take  about  a  quart  of  milk  in  one  form  or  another? 
Have  I  taken  pains  to  see  that  the  milk  that  comes  to  my  house   has 

been  handled  in  a  clean  way? 
If  I  was  obliged  to  serve  skim  milk  for  the  sake  of  cleanness  or  economy, 

did  I  supply  a  little  extra  fat  in  some  other  way  ?  ■ 
Were  the  fats  which  I  gave  the  child  of  the  wholesome  kind  found  in 
milk,  cream,  biitter.  and  salad  oils,  or  of  the  unwholesome  kind  found 
in  doughnuts  and  other  fried  foods? 
Did  I  make  good  use  of  all  skim  milk  by  using  it  in  the  preparation  of 

cereal  mushes,  puddings,  or  otherwise? 
Were  all  cereal  foods  thorouglily  cooked? 


28  CHILD  CAKE. 

Was  the  bread  soggy?     If  so,  was  it  because  the  loaves  were  too  large, 

or  because  they  were  not  cooked  long  enough? 
Did  I  take  pains  to  get  a  variety  of  foods  from  the  cereal  group  by  serving 

a  cereal  mush  once  during  the  day? 
Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  while  cereals  are  good  foods  in  themselves,  they 

do  not  take  the  place  of  meat,  milk,  eggs,  fruit,  and  vegetables? 
Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  children  who  do  not  have  plenty  of  fruit  and 

vegetables  need   whole-wheat  bread   and  whole  grains  served   in   other 

ways  ? 
Did  each  child   have  an   egg  or  an  equivalent  amount  of  meat,   fish,  or 

poultry  ? 
Did  any  child  have  more  than  this  of  flesh  foods  or  eggs?    If  so,  might  the 

money  not  have  been  better  spent  for  fruits  or  vegetables? 
If   I   was  unable   to  get   milk,   meat,   fish,   poultry,   or  eggs,   did   I   serve 

dried  beans  or  other  legumes,  thoroughly  cooked  and  carefully  seasoned? 
Were  vegetables  and  fruits  both  on  the  child's  bill  of  fare  once  during 

the  day?     If  not,  was  it  because  we  have  not  taken  pains  to  raise  them 

in  our  home  garden? 
Did  either  the  fruit  or  the  vegetable  disagree  with  the  child?    If  so,  ought 

I  to  have  cooked  it  more  thoroughly,  chopped  it  more  finely,  or  have 

removed  the  skins  or  seeds? 
Was  the  child  given  sweets  between  meals,  or  anything  that  tempted  him 

to  eat  when  he  was  not  hungry? 
Was  he  allowed  to  eat  sweets  when  he  should  have  been  drinking  milk 

or  eating  cereals,  meat,  eggs,  fruit,  or  vegetables? 
Were  the  sweets  given  to  the  child  simple,  i.  e.,  unmixed  with  much  fat 

or  with  hard  substances  difficult  to  chew,  and  not  highly  flavoretl? 
AVas  the  child  made  to  eat  slowly  and  chew  his  food  properly? 
A  young  child  may  be  considered  well  fed  if  he  has  plenty  of  milk,  bread, 
and  other  cereal  food;  an  egg  once  a  day  or  its  equivalent  in  flesh  foods;  a 
small  portion  each  of  carefully  prepared  fruits  and  vegetables,  with  a  small 
amount  of  sweet  food  after  his  appetite  for  other  foods  is  satisfied.  If  there 
is  too  much  or  too  little  of  any  of  these,  his  diet  is  one-sided. 

DRINKS. 

The  growing  child  needs  a  great  deal  of  good  drinking  water, 
particularly  in  the  hot  weather,  and  should  be  offered  water  even 
when  he  does  not  demand  it.  Tea  and  coffee  should  be  absolutely 
forbidden  to  all  j'oung  children.^ 

FOOD   HABITS. 

With  few  exceptions  children  may  be  taught  proper  food  habits. 
Children  knovv  nothing  of  foods  in  the  beginning  save  those  which 
are  set  before  them  and  have  to  learn  to  eat  every  article  of  food. 
If  from  the  first  wholesome  and  suitable  foods  are  served  without 
comment  or  (juestion  most  children  will  like  them  and  thus  normal 
dietary  habits  will  be  established. 


^  One  of  the  disastrous  results  of  the  increased  cost  of  milk  at  the  time  this  bulletin 
goes  to  press,  March,  1918.  Is  that  many  families  are  considering  it  impossible  to  pay  for 
milk  for  their  children  and  are  giving  them  tea  and  coffee  to  drink  in  its  place.  The 
effect  of  both  of  these  drinks  is  conspicuously  bad  for  children  ;  and,  where  milk  is  abso- 
lutely out  of  the  question,  children  should  be  given  weak  cocoa  and  cereal  drinks  or  even 
plain  hot  water  rather  than  those  which  will  be  sure  to  do  them  injury  if  long  continued. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  29 

In  some  cases  a  child  may  exhibit  an  "  idiosyncrasy "'  toward  a 
certain  food — such  as  eggs,  for  example — which  he  may  not  be  able 
to  eat,  but  in  general  he  can  be  and  should  be  taught  to  eat  all  whole- 
some foods.  A  child  who  insists  that  he  does  not  like  this  or  that 
food  may  not  be  perfectly  well  or  his  appetite  may  have  been  per- 
Aerted  by  one  cause  or  another.  Others  may  have  had  their  tastes 
limited  by  the  objection  of  the  members  of  the  family  to  certain 
articles  which  are  consequently  almost  excluded  from  the  table.  It 
is  also  quite  possible  that  a  child's  distaste  for  certain  foods  may 
result  from  poor  cooking,  scorching,  overseasoning,  or  other  faults 
of  preparation.  For  example,  most  children  have  a  wholesome 
natural  objection  to  pepper  and  sharp  condiments  and  will  not  eat 
foods  in  which  they  are  used.  This  may  be  sufficient  to  destroy  their 
relish  for  such  things  as  soups,  vegetables,  and  meats.  On  the  other 
hand  food  may  be  so  negatiAe  that  it  excites  no  pleasure  in  eating. 
It  is  important  to  have  the  ordinary  foods  appear  on  the  family 
table  so  seasoned  and  flavored  as  to  make  them  attractive,  palatable, 
and  capable  of  exciting  a  copious  flow  of  the  various  digestive  juices. 
Flavorless,  badly  cooked,  unattractive,  and  unappetizing  food  Avill 
be  poorly  digested.  The  pleasing  appearance  of  food  and  an  agree- 
able manner  of  serving  it  have  much  to  do  with  the  pleasure  of 
eating  it. 

After  the  third  year  three  good  meals  a  day  will  usually  suffice. 
The  habit  of  lunching  or  nibbling  on  candy  or  cake  between  meals 
tends  to  destroy  the  natural  appetite  and  to  make  a  child  indifferent 
to  his  regular  meals,  and  leads  to  indigestion  and  malnutrition.  If 
the  interval  between  dinner  and  supper  is  very  long,  a  light  lunch 
consisting  of  milk,  or  bread  and  butter,  ripe  fruit,  or  other  light 
food  may  be  given  half  way  between  these  meals. 

Meats  should  be  cut  fine,  vegetables  mashed  or  strained,  and  seeds 
and  skin  removed  from  fruits  for  the  youngest  children. 

From  the  first  the  child  must  be  taught  to  chew  his  food 
thoroughly  and  must  be  continually  watched  to  see  that  he  does 
not  fall  into  the  habit  of  eating  too  fast  and  swallowing  large 
mouthfuls  without  sufficient  mastication.  To  guard  against  this 
habit,  pleasant  conversation  and  laughter  should  be  encouraged  at 
the  family  table  and  children  should  learn  from  the  example  of 
their  elders  to  make  the  mealtime  a  hiippy  one.  Xo  child  should 
be  permitted  to  frown  or  pout  at  the  table  or  to  complain  about 
his  food  provided  the  meal  offered  is  ample  and  satisfying. 

If  a  child  will  not  eat  he  should  not  be  urged  to  do  so,  nor  should 
he  be  tempted  with  indigestible  or  unsuitable  foods  when  he  refuses 
the  ordinary  articles.  The  lack  of  appetite  may  be  due  to  many 
causes,  but  a  child  in  health  should  be  able  to  eat  simple,  well-cooked 


30  CHILD   CARE. 

food  of  pleasant  variety  at  the  three  reg:ular  meals  of  the  day. 
Marked  or  long  continued  lack  of  appetite,  or  freakish  desires — as, 
for  example,  the  longing  for  vinegar  or  sour  fruit — may  indicate 
illness,  and  such  a  child  instead  of  being  scolded  or  nagged,  which 
alone  is  sufficient  to  spoil  the  appetite,  should  be  examined  by  a 
physician.  Poor  teeth  or  lack  of  teeth  may  cause  enough  pain  to  the 
child  to  diminish  his  appetite.  Constipation  or  any  form  of  illness 
ma}^  have  the  same  effect. 

If  there  is  some  wholesome  article  of  food  which  the  child  per- 
sistently refuses  and  which  seems  essential  to  his  well-being,  a 
small  portion  of  this  food,  perhaps  in  a  new  disguise,  may  be  given 
first  at  the  meal  and  other  desired  articles  withheld  until  the  child 
has  eaten  some  of  it.  But  taste  and  appetite  are  more  successfully 
cultivated  when  they  are  noticed  least,  and  the  very  effort  to  make 
a  child  eat  something  he  does  not  fancy  may  serve  to  establish  an 
even  greater  distaste. 

The  child  should  be  taught  proper  table  manners,  but  if  he  is 
to  eat  properly  his  table  and  chair  must  be  of  the  right  height 
and  his  utensils  small  enough  so  that  he  can  use  them  easily.  After 
the  high  chair  has  been  outgrown  a  child  needs  a  dining  chair  high 
enough  to  bring  his  elbows  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  table, 
and  provided  with  a  foot  rest. 

CLOTHING. 

Children's  clothing  should  be  simple  and  light  in  weight  and 
should  afford  perfect  freedom  of  movement  to  every  part  of  the  body, 
so  that  all  forms  of  healthful  play  may  be  indulged  in  without  dis- 
comfort. It  is  a  grievous  invasion  of  one  of  tiie  inherent  rights  of 
childhood  to  dress  a  child  in  such  a  way  that  he  must  consider  his 
clothing  during  his  hours  of  freedom. 

NUMBER  AND  KIND  OF  GARMENTS. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  year  the  child's  clothing  consists  of 
a  shirt,  a  pair  of  drawers,  or  a  combination;  a  soft  waist  to  hold 
drawers  and  garters;  shoes,  stockings,  and  garters;  and  a  simple 
outside  garment,  like  rompers,  overalls,  a  one-piece  kimono  slip,  or 
an  apron.  Overalls  may  be  made  of  denim  or  gingham.  The  one- 
piece  kimono  dress  is  cool  and  easy  to  make,  but  is  apt  to  tear  under 
the  arm  unless  very  loose.  If  desired,  bloomers  of  the  same  material 
as  the  outer  dress  may  be  worn.  Petticoats  are  unnecessary  save 
under  thin  dresses  and  are  not  needed  under  rompers  or  when 
bloomers  are  worn. 

Diagram  I  shows  an  outline  sketch  for  the  pattern  of  a  useful 
little  play  dress  for  young  children.^  It  is  cut  with  an  extension 
flap  on  both  the  back  and  front  at  the  bottom.     These  two  flaps  are 

'  Courtesy  of  Mrs.  M.  O.  Lorenz,  Washington,  D.  C.        See  p.  31. 


THE   PRESCHOOL   AGE. 


31 


buttoned  together  between  the  legs,  leaving  ample  room  for  the 
other  garments.  The  advantages  of  this  garment  are  that  it  is  easy 
to  make,  easy  to  iron,  permits  the  easy  change  of  diapers,  and  saves 
the  child  from  the  many  falls  and  accidents  due  to  loose  skirts. 


Diagram  I. — Simple  dress. 


32  CHILD  CARE. 

MATERIALS. 

Underclothing  should  be  soft  and  porous.  All-wool  fabrics  must 
be  washed  with  great  care  to  prevent  shrinking  and  felting.^  Cot- 
ton and  wool  or  silk  and  wool  garments  have  much  of  the  warmth 
and  softness  of  wool  but  do  not  easily  shrink  and  harden  if  care- 
fully washed.  Shirts  and  stockings  may  be  dried  on  stretchers  to 
save  shrinking.  All-cotton  undergarments  are  far  easier  to  wash 
than  wool  ones,  and  many  mothers  prefer  to  use  them,  adding  the 
warmth  necessary  for  cold  weather  by  having  the  child  wear  a 
light-weight  sweater  either  under  or  over  his  apron,  A  child  of 
this  age  should  have  no  clothing  that  can  not  be  washed.  For  this 
reason  cotton  materials  are  most  practical.  Mothers  disagree  as  to 
the  comparative  merits  of  white  and  colored  clothing.  One  of  the 
advantages  of  white  garments  is  that  they  may  be  boiled,  thus 
greatly  reducing  the  amount  of  rubbing  necessary  to  get  them 
clean ;  on  the  other  hand  white  dresses  are  soiled  veiy  quickly.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  while  white  or  light  colors  show  the  soil 
more  plainly  there  is  just  as  much  actual  soil  on  the  darker  garments. 
Light  shades,  such  as  blue,  gi'een,  lavender,  and  pink,  are  apt  to  fade 
unless  they  are  washed  with  special  care.  Ginghams  often  shrink 
badly  in  washing.  Such  material  should  be  shrunk  before  making 
up.  Seersucker  and  crinkled  and  crepe  materials  of  many  kinds 
have  the  great  advantage  of  needing  no  ironing  and  are  very  popular 
materials  for  children's  everyday  clothes.  These  rough  materials 
are  hot  and  if  used  for  summer  wear  in  warm  climate  should  have 
short  sleeves  and  round  neck  to  avoid  chafing  the  skin  of  the  arms 
and  neck.  Percale,  galatea,  madras,  and  the  better  grades  of  ging- 
ham are  among  the  popular  cotton  materials  for  children's  clothes. 
For  hot  weather  almost  rhj  of  the  thin  materials  may  be  used.  Cot- 
ton crepe  wears  well  and  requires  no  ironing.  Loosely  woven  fabrics 
wash  easier  than  the  hard,  tightly  woven  materials. 

1  Washing  woolens. — Use  one  5-ceiit  cake  of  white  soap  to  1  quart  of  water  for  one 
pair  thick  woolen  blankets.  Shave  the  poap  and  let  it  stand  in  water  over  night.  Then 
hiat  until  soap  is  dissolved.  Add  1  cupful  of  borax.  Put  this  mixture  into  several  pails 
of  water  (cold)  and  pour  over  blankets,  adding  enough  water  to  cover  and  let  them 
.stand  for  about  24  hours.  Rub  an.v  spots  that  may  remain,  then  wring  out  the  blankets 
and  rinse  twice  in  cold  rain  water.  Wring  out  and  dry.  When  almost  dry  the  blankets 
should  be  brushed  to  raise  the  nap.  For  small  pieces  of  flannel,  lingerie,  waists,  lace, 
children's  fine  dresses,  etc.,  use  1  cake  of  shaved  white  soap  to  1  quart  of  soft  water. 
Heat  until  dissolved.  Pour  it  into  a  2-quart  jar  and  fill  up  the  jar  with  cold  soft  water. 
Use  1  heaping  tablespoonful  of  this  solution  and  1  tablespoonful  of  borax  to  a  basin  of 
water.  Dissolve  the  borax  in  hot  rain  water  until  no  lumps  remain  and  put  into  the  soap 
solution.  Fill  the  basin  with  cold  rain  water  and  put  In  m.iterials  to  be  washed.  Let 
them  stand  overniglit.  At  some  convenient  time  rinse  them  twice  in  cold  rain  water. 
Wring  them  out  and  dry  in  the  open  air.  "  The  Child  in  Health,"  Dorothy  Reed  Menden- 
ball,  M.  D.,  Correspondence- Study  Division,  Home  Economics  Extension  Service,  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin. 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  33 

NIGHTGOWNS. 

Sinnmer  night  wear  should  be  thin  and  soft.  The  gowns  may  be 
made  of  soft-finish  crepe,  nainsook,  long  cloth,  or  thin  muslin.  The 
neck  should  be  cut  round  and  the  sleeves  should  be  loose  and  short. 
For  winter  gowns  heavier  materials  may  be  used.  Outing  flannel  is 
much  favored  because  of  its  warmth  and  softness,  but  mothers  must 
lemember  that  many  children  have  been  seriously  burned  because  of 
(he  inflammable  nature  of  these  materials.  A  spark  from  an  open 
fire  or  from  a  carelessly  thrown  match  is  often  sufficient  to  set  fire  to 
a  child's  garment.  The  greatest  care  must  be  used  to  guard  against 
tliis  danger.  Part-wool  flannel  jnay  be  used,  or  heavy  cotton  twill 
with  fleeced  lining.  Ready-made  night  wear  having  legs  and  feet 
may  be  bought,  which  is  both  warm  and  soft  and  will  keep  the  cliild 
completely  covered.  Draw  strings  may  be  run  in  the  hems  at  the 
bottom  of  the  garment  and  in  the  bottoms  of  the  sleeves,  to  be  drawn 
up  after  the  child  is  ready  for  bed.  In  the  coldest  Aveather  it  may  be 
necessary  to  have  the  child  wear  a  shirt  under  his  nightgown,  but  the 
day  shirt  should  always  hv  taken  off  and  a  different  one  used  at 
night.  If  a  woolen  sleeping  bag  is  used,  the  winter  gown  may  be  of 
cotton  material. 


Children's  coats  and  all  garments  intended  for  out-of-door  wear  in 
winter  should  be  soft  and  warm  and  sufficiently  light  in  weight  to 
permit  perfect  freedom  of  motion.  Eough-surfaced  woolen  mate- 
rials, somewhat  loosely  woven,  will  be  warmer  and  at  the  same  time 
lighter  in  weight  than  those  which  have  a  hard,  smooth  finish.  A 
comparatively  thin  material,  like  serge,  may  be  used  for  coats  if  an 
interlining  of  flannel  or  wool  wadding  is  used  to  give  the  necessary 
warmth. 

Summer  coats  may  be  made  of  any  washable  material  desired. 
Pongee  (a  washable  silk)  and  challi  (a  soft  washable  wool  material) 
are  both  excellent  for  coats,  but  many  of  the  white  cottons  may  be 
used  for  the  same  purpose. 

AMOUNT  OF  CLOTHING. 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  climate,  season,  and  local  con- 
ditions will  dictate  the  amount  of  clothing  a  child  should  wear.  In 
very  cold  winter  weather  every  part  of  the  hodj  from  the  neck 
downward  should  be  warmly  clad  and  the  clothing  so  distributed 
that  all  parts  of  the  body  are  equally  warm.  The  habit  of  permit- 
ting young  children  to  wear  short  socks  when  the  temperature  is 
well  toward  freezing  controverts  all  the  ordinary  rules  of  health. 

79831'^— IS— r.ull.  30 3 


34  CHILD  CARE. 

It  would  be  ]iTst  as  reasonable  to  send  a  child  out  in  cold  weather 
with  bare  arms  as  it  is  to  send  him  out  with  the  calves  of  the  legs 
exposed.  It  is  clitticult  to  reconcile  such  a  custom  with  reasonable 
prudence. 

Children  are  sometimes  dressed  so  warmly  in  winter  that  undue 
perspiration  results  and  they  take  cold  at  the  slightest  exposure.  If 
too  lightly  dressed  the  child  will  have  cold  hands  and  feet,  blue  lips, 
and  a  pinched  appearance.  A  mother  must  use  her  common  sense 
and  make  whatever  changes  are  indicated  by  the  child's  condi- 
tion. If  his  face  is  flushed  after  playing  about  the  room  for  a  few 
moments,  or  if  the  sweat  shows  about  his  head  and  face,  and  espe- 
cially if  he  becomes  fretful  and  impatient  for  no  apparent  cause, 
it  is  very  likely  he  is  too  warmly  dressed.  Delicate  or  convalescent 
children  require  warmer  clothing  than  the  robust. 

In  excessively  hot  weather  it  is  hardly  possible  to  dress  a  child 
too  lightly.  Only  the  fewest  and  thinnest  garments  should  be  worn 
while  the  heat  lasts,  but  the  child  must  be  guarded  against  a  possible 
chill  when  the  temperature  suddenly  falls. 

HATS  AND  CAPS. 

A  child  may  go  bareheaded  much  of  the  year,  but  in  summer  a 
simple,  light-weight  straw  or  cloth  hat  is  necessary  to  protect  the  head 
and  face  when  the  sun  is  very  hot.  For  winter  wear  a  soft  tam- 
o'-shanter  of  wool  or  velvet  or  some  equally  soft  little  cap  which  stays 
on  and  fits  closely  down  about  the  ears  and  neck  is  most  suitable. 
Stocking  caps  are  comfortable  for  the  coldest  weather,  but  to  wear 
these  woolen  caps  indoors  is  dangerous.  Mothers  should  instruct 
their  children,  boys  and  girls  alike,  to  remove  both  their  caps  and 
coats  when  they  come  into  a  warm  room  to  stay  for  any  considerable 
period.  Waterproof  coats,  boots,  and  overshoes  should  be  removed 
on  coming  indoors. 

SHOES  AND  STOCKINGS. 

The  human  foot  is  a  delicately  adjusted  mechanism  of  bones,  liga- 
ments, muscles,  nerves,  and  blood  vessels  which  in  the  growing  period 
is  very  easily  distorted  or  thrown  out  of  balance  by  continued  pres- 
sure of  badly  fitting  shoes  or  by  lack  of  attention  to  the  beginning 
of  trouble.  It  is  impossible  to  measure  the  handicap  which  "  flat 
foot,"  with  the  resulting  inefficiency,  imposes  upon  the  human  race, 
but  that  it  is  great  enough  to  warrant  the  taking  of  ail  the  pains 
necessary  to  prevent  it  is  beyond  dispute. 

Children's  shoes  should  be  fitted  on  a  last  which  conforms  to  the 
natural  shape  of  the  foot.     Shoes  that  are  too  short  have  a  tendency 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  35 

to  produce  enlargement  of  the  joints  of  the  great  toe  by  pressing 
against  the  end.  Shoes  that  are  too  loose  rub  blisters  and  callouses 
on  various  parts  of  the  feet.  Those  that  are  too  tight  give  rise  to 
corns,  and  those  that  are  too  pointed  bend  the  toes  toward  one  an- 
other and  spoil  their  shape,  while  those  that  are  not  properly  fitted  at 
the  instep  fail  to  afford  the  necessary  support  to  the  arch  and  the 
ankle.  Unfortunately  custom  or  fashion  is  often  allowed  to  dictate 
the  sort  of  shoes  that  children  shall  wear,  and  it  may  be  hardly  pos- 
sible to  find  the  right  kind  of  shoes  in  some  communities.  Recent 
observation  of  the  stores  m  certain  small  towns  showed  that  the 
children's  shoes  most  in  use  were  made  of  patent  leather  with  narrow 
toes  and  thin  or  medium  soles.  The  mothers  complained  that  they 
could  not  get  anything  else.  The  dealers  stated  that  they  carried  the 
kind  of  shoes  that  were  demanded  by  their  customers.  The  obvious 
remedy  would  appear  to  be  for  the  sensible  mothers  to  invite  their 
shoe  merchants  to  a  conference  on  the  subject,  explaining  plainly 
why  the}''  object  to  the  shoes  furnished  and  what  kinds  they  desire. 
Certainly  every  merchant  would  be  willing  to  make  an  effort  to  sup- 
ply the  demand  if  he  understood  it. 

FITTING   THE   SHOES. 

The  child  should,  whenever  possible,  be  taken  to  the  shop  to 
have  the  shoes  carefully  fitted.  When  shoes  must  be  ordered  by 
mail,  the  measurement  around  ankle  and  instep  should  be  taken, 
using  an  accurate  tapeline. 

It  will  be  seen  from  Diagram  II  ^  that  in  childhood  the  inside  line 
of  the  foot  is  nearly  straight.  When  the  child  stands  with  his  feet 
parallel  they  touch  each  other  throughout  most  of  their  length.  The 
outer  edges  of  the  sole  curve  outward  naturally,  and  the  shoe  must 
provide  room  for  this  curve  of  the  toes  without  pressing  upon  them. 
The  outline  of  the  foot  should  be  drawn  while  the  child  stands  on  a 
sheet  of  white  paper.  The  outline  will  probably  be  clearer  if  he 
wears  his  stocking,  unless  the  stocking  is  too  short,  in  which  case  it 
will  make  the  outline  too  short  and  too  wide.  This  outline  and  the 
ankle  and  instep  measurements  may  be  sent  to  the  shoe  dealer  when 
it  is  necessaiy  to  order  the  child's  shoes  by  mail.  The  shoe  should  be 
1  inch  longer  than  the  outline  of  the  foot  and  one-fourth  inch 
wider.  In  ordering  shoes  in  this  way  it  is  necessarv  to  specify 
what  sort  of  leather  is  desired  as,  for  example,  bright  or  dull  kid, 
or  calfskin ;  or  canvas,  etc.,  and  the  color,  as  brown,  black,  or  white. 
It  is  also  wise  to  give  some  inforaiation  as  to  the  price  of  shoe 
desired.     At  the  present  time   (1918)   leather  has  risen  in  value  so 

1  Courtesy  of  Dr.  M.  O.  Lorenz,  Washington,  D.  C.     See  p.  36. 


36 


CHILD  CASE. 


greatly  that  shoes  made  from  leather  are  much  more  expensive  than 
even  a  year  or  two  ago,  and  various  substitutes  for  leather,  especially 
for  shoe  soles,  are  being  tried  with  considerable  success. 

There  are  several  excellent  models  for  children's  shoes  on  the 
market,  under  various  trade  names,  which  can  be  had  either  directly 
through  local  dealers,  or  by  catalogue,  if  the  purchaser  is  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  town.     Patent  leather,  being  covered  Avith  varnish, 


DiAGUAM  II. — Outline  of  child's  foot.  Left,  bare  footprint  of  S-year-old  child;  right, 
outline  of  stockinged  foot,  same  child.  (Both  showing  properly  shaped  sole  of  shoe 
to  fit  this  foot.) 

is  nonporous,  and  children  who  commonly  wear  patent  leather  shoes 
almost  invariably  develop  some  tenderness  of  the  feet. 

Winter  shoes  should  have  thick  but  flexible  soles.  It  is  no  uncom- 
mon sight  to  see  a  young  child  walking  on  an  icy  pavement  wearing 
thin-soled  shoes  without  overshoes.  Although  he  may  be  dressed 
in  heavy  woolen  coat,  cap,  mittens,  and  leggins,  he  is  not  thereby 
at  all  protected  against  the  chill  that  comes  through  the  thin, 
dampened  soles  of  his  shoes. 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  37 

Eiibber  or  arctic  overshoes  or  boots  are  necessary  when  the  ground 
is  wet  or  muddy  or  the  snow  is  deep,  but  they  should  be  removed  as 
soon  as  the  child  comes  into  the  house.  Rubber-soled  shoes  are  like- 
Avise  unsuitable  for  regular  wear  imless  there  is  an  inner  sole  of 
leather. 

SLEEP  AND  REST. 

AMOUNT. 

The  very  young  baby's  life  is  a  succession  of  alternate  periods  of 
eating  and  sleeping.  He  stays  awake  long  enough  to  eat,  then  im- 
mediately goes  off  to  sleep  until  he  is  hungry  again.  As  the  child 
grows  the  waking  periods  are  prolonged,  but  at  all  stages  the  child 
has  far  greater  need  for  sleep  than  the  adult.  Up  to  0  years  of  age 
the  child  should  sleep  not  less  than  12  hours  out  of  the  24 — 10  or  12 
hours  at  night  and  often  1  or  2  in  the  afternoon.  The  nap  should  be 
taken  until  the  child  can  no  longer  be  induced  to  go  to  sleep  in  the 
daytime.  It  is  a  wise  precaution  to  have  all  growing  children  rest 
for  a  while  in  the  afternoon  even  if  they  do  not  sleep.  Plenty  of 
sleep  is  of  special  importance  in  this  day  when  so  many  parents  are 
nervous  and  high  strung.  Children  of  such  parents,  or  those  who  are 
inclined  to  delicacy  or  any  form  of  illness,  are  particularly'  in  need 
of  large  amounts  of  sleep  in  order  to  give  the  body  even  more  than 
ordinaiy  opportunity  to  build  up  its  weakened  tissues  and  increase 
its  resistance.  Sleep  should  begin  early  in  the  evening  and  should 
continue  until  the  child  wakes  naturally.  To  require  children  to 
wake  and  be  ready  for  an  early  breakfast,  regardless  of  their  desire 
to  sleep,  is  no  longer  held  to  be  sound  physiologically  or  otherwise. 

CONDITIONS    FOR   GOOD   SLEEP. 

Healthy  sleep  depends  upon  many  conditions.  The  bed  must 
be  comfortable  and  clean,  and  the  room  should  be  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  fresh  air.  The  temperature  should  not  be  above  00°  F., 
and  may  be  much  lower.  The  room  should  be  darkened  but  not 
oppressively  so.  Many  children  and  not  a  few  adults  sleep  much 
better  if  there  is  a  faint  light,  such  as  may  come  from  the  moon,  but 
no  artificial  light  should  be  allowed  to  burn  in  the  room  all  night. 
The  body  should  be  clean,  the  nightgown  loose  and  comfortable,  and 
the  child  should  have  had  a  light  but  sufficient  evening  meal.  The 
complete  evacuation  of  the  bowels  every  day  is  of  great  importance 
to  good  sleep,  as  are  also  clear  nose  and  throat  passages.  A  child 
should  sleep  in  a  bed  by  himself  and  whenever  possible  in  a  room 
apart  from  the  adult  members  of  the  family.  Out-of-door  sleeping 
is  often  a  great  source  of  health  to  children  and  a  little  ingenuity 
will  make  this  possible  at  slight  expense.     If  there  are  no  sleeping 


38  CHILD  CAEE. 

porches  it  is  often  easy  to  attach  or  extend  them  to  roofs  of  one- 
story  additions  which  are  accessible  to  the  second-story  windows 
of  the  main  part  of  the  house. 

The  white  painted  iron  heds  or  cribs  in  common  use  are  easily 
kept  clean  and  are  very  suitable  for  children.  Directions  for  making 
the  bed  and  the  kind  of  mattress  and  covers  to  use  are  shown  in  the 
previous  bulletin  in  this  series  (Infant  Care,  p.  11)  and  need  not 
be  repeated  here,  as  the  same  articles  will  be  suitable  for  the  child 
until  he  has  outgrown  them. 

SLEEPING  BAGS. 

It  is  SO  difficult  to  keep  a  child  covered,  especially  in  cold 
weather,  that  many  mothers  have  adopted  sleeping  bags  for  their 
children.  These  bags  are  most  easily  made  by  folding  a  small 
blanket  in  the  middle  and  sewing  up  one  end  and  the  other  side. 
At  the  top  there  should  be  strong  hooks  and  eyes  or  snaps  at 
intervals  of  a  few  inches.  The  child  is  put  into  the  bag  and  the 
hooks  fastened  so  as  to  hold  the  top  of  the  bag  around  the  neck 
and  over  the  shoulders.  If  desired  it  may  be  left  open  the  rest  of 
the  way  so  that  the  child  can  get  his  arms  out  or  it  may  be  hooked 
all  the  way.  One  way  to  prevent  thumb-sucking  is  to  fasten  the 
bag  so  that  the  child  can  not  get  his  hands  to  his  mouth.  The  bag 
may  be  made  of  any  material.  An  all-wool  blanket  is  best  in  winter 
but  muslin  will  answer  for  summer.  It  should  always  be  sufficiently 
roomy  so  that  the  child  can  turn  and  move  freely  about  inside. 
Aji  added  device  is  to  fasten  tapes  to  each  of  the  lower  corners  of 
the  bag  and  tie  them  to  the  corners  of  the  bed  or  crib.  Wlien  the 
child  is  thus  fastened  loosely  within  the  bed,  the  ordinary  bedcovers 
may  be  drawn  over  him  without  fear  that  he  will  kick  them  off  or 
carry  them  off  with  himself  as  he  turns.  One  great  advantage  of  the 
sleeping  bag  is  that  the  mother  need  not  be  disturbed  at  night  to 
see  whether  the  child  is  covered. 

A  child  should  alwa3^s  be  completely  undressed  when  he  goes  to 
bed,  and  none  of  the  day  clothes  should  be  worn  at  night.  If  it  is  so 
cold  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  child  to  wear  a  shirt  at  night  a 
change  should  be  made  from  the  one  he  has  been  wearing.  Day 
clothing  should  always  be  thoroughly  aired  and  dried  at  night, 
ready  to  put  on  a  gam  the  next  day.  Likewise,  all  night  clothing 
should  be  well  aired  out  of  doors  during  the  day. 

PLAY  AND  EXERCISE. 

From  the  first  aimless  flutter  of  the  tmy  red  fist,  through  all 
the  constant  and  varied  activities  of  childhood,  the  child  is  slowly 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  39 

gaining  a  mastery  over  his  body  by  exercising  it.  The  healthy 
child  is  in  practically  continuous  motion  during  all  his  waking  hours. 
He  crosses  and  recrosses  the  floor  many  times  a  day.  He  climbs, 
reaches,  stretches,  runs,  lifts  and  carries  «mall  burdens,  and  quite 
without  knowledge  on  his  own  part  his  muscles  and  bones  are 
strengthened  and  developed  and  his  growth  is  carried  forward  as 
nature  intended. 

Xormal  children  who  have  room  to  piav  both  indoors  and  out 
and  are  provided  with  suitable  playthings  will  in  these  very  early 
years  get  all  the  exercise  they  need;  but  a  child  whose  freedom  is 
necessarily  limited  by  crowded  living  conditions  suffers  for  want  of 
wholesome  natural  exercise  and  should  be  taken  to  the  parks  or  the 
open  country  as  often  as  possible  wliere  he  may  run  and  romp  to 
his  heart's  content  and  to  the  great  advantage  of  his  body-.  Play 
is  a  fundamental  instinct,  and  even  in  the  midst  of  the  bleakest 
and  most  dispiriting  surroundings  the  child,  if  left  to  himself,  will 
find  some  form  of  play.  Parents  do  not  always  realize  that  a  child 
must  play  and  that  through  play  he  is  laying  the  foundation  for 
a  healthy  adult  life. 

In  not  a  few  homes  young  children  are  given  tasks  too  heavy  for 
their  strength,  are  kept  at  them  too  long  at  a  time,  and  are  made 
to  carry  responsibilities  which  should  not  be  laid  on  them  at  so 
early  an  age.  This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  children  should  do 
no  work.  Part  of  a  child's  education  is  to  learn  to  take  his  part 
in  the  family  life  by  doing  his  small  tasks  and  rendering  the  small 
services  which  are  quite  within  his  powers,  such  as  setting  the 
table,  wiping  the  dishes,  running  small  errands  about  the  house,  pick- 
ing up  his  own  playthings,  answering  the  doorbell,  and  other  similar 
duties.  Such  work,  graded  to  suit  the  child's  age,  is  a  pleasure  if 
undertaken  in  a  spirit  of  play.  Beyond  this,  the  young  child's  wak- 
ing hours,  save  such  as  are  necessary  for  eating  and  the  care  of  the 
body,  should  be  spent  in  natural  and  healthy  play  to  the  greatest  pos- 
sible extent. 

OUT-OF-DOOR  PLAY. 

In  a  recent  series  of  health  conferences  held  in  small  towns  many 
children  were  presented  for  examination  who  were  plainly  suffering 
from  the  lack  of  the  active  exercise  that  children  get  in  playing 
out  of  doors.  T\Tien  questioned  as  to  why  the  children  were  not 
kept  out  the  mothers  quite  commonly  replied  that  they  would  not 
stay  out  of  doors  alone  and  that  the  mothers  did  not  have  time  to 
spend  in  this  way.  It  is  surprising  to  find  how  many  parents  fail 
to  provide' playthings  or  occupations  which  interest  the  children  and 
keep  them  safe  and  happy  even  away  from  their  elders.    To  provide 


40  •  CHILD   CARE. 

children  with  the  material  for  happy  and  health-giving  play  requires 
no  large  outlay  either  of  money  or  time,  but  it  is  often  necessary  to 
urge  mothers  to  open  the  doors,  both  literally  and  figuratively,  to  the 
children. 

For  the  younger  children  sand  piles,  safe  swings,  small  gardening 
operations,  playing  in  the  snow,  climbing,  and  running  after  a  ball 
will  afford  much  good  exercise.  As  a  child  grows'  a  little  older 
swings,  teeters,  and  many  of  the  amusements  offered  on  the  public 
playgrounds  are  suitable.  The  simplest  homemade  apparatus  is 
often  more  satisfactory  than  the  most  expensive  because  of  the 
child's  added  joy  of  watching  the  construction  and  assisting  in  it. 

For  children  under  C  there  is  probably  no  other  one  thing  that 
gives  more  pleasure  than  a  sand  box.  This  requires  only  a  load  of 
clean  "-sharp "  sand  such  as  builders  use  in  making  mortar,  but 
almost  any  kind  will  do,  walled  in  with  clean  boards  to  save  it  from 
being  washed  away  by  the  rain.  Sand  boxes  may  be  built  and  used 
on  porches  or  roofs.  A  sand  box  in  the  yard  may  be  sheltered  by 
a  hedge  or  a  clump  of  shrubbery  from  the  sun  or  the  street  and  is 
better  built  on  a  slight  slope  in  order  that  there  may  be  a  natural 
drainage.  If  the  soil  beneath  is  clay,  a  drain  made  at  the  bottom  of 
the  slope  by  filling  a  hole  2  feet  deep  with  broken  stone  will  carry 
off  the  rain  water.  Sand  boxes  should  be  so  located  as  to  have  the 
sunshine  on  them  some  parts  of  the  day.  It  is  difficult  to  keep  such 
a  box  sweet  and  clean  if  the  sand  is  mixed  with  soil  or  clay,  but  pure 
sand  washed  by  the  rain  and  dried  by  the  sunshine  is  naturally  dis- 
infected. All  the  playthings  needed  for  the  sand  box  are  some  old 
spoons  and  a  few  small  pails  or  tins.  Baking-powder  cans  with 
covers  answer  very  well.  Flowers  and  twigs,  clothespins,  shells, 
stones,  and  acorns  all  enter  into  the  making  of  sand-box  gardens  or 
villages,  and  most  children  will  play  contentedly  for  hours  at  a  time 
in  a  sand  box. 

A  swing  so  low  that  a  young  child  will  not  be  injured  by  falling 
out,  a  teeter  board  made  by  balancing  a  plank  over  a'sawhorse,  and 
a  low  ladder,  with  smooth  rungs,  fastened  securel}^  against  some  wall, 
are  all  excellent  forms  of  play  apparatus  for  the  yard  or  porch. 

Playing  house,  both  in  and  out  of  doors,  is  a  never-failing  delight, 
especially  to  little  girls.  A  large  wooden  box  under  a  tree  or  in  some 
sheltered  spot  is  the  basis  for  an  astonishingly  large  establishment, 
to  be  furnished  and  decorated  outside  and  in  and  with  grounds  and 
gardens  about  it.  Any  kind  of  play  that  is  to  have  any  permanent 
chann  for  a  child  must  be  one  in  which  he  can  realize  his  own  ideals 
and  work  out  the  plans  of  his  imagination,  and  although  the  result 
may  look  very  small  or  crude  to  the  matter-of-fact  adult  it  is  per- 
fectly satisfactory  to  the  creator  of  it. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  41 

In  the  North,  where  the  winter  temperature  is  at  times  consider- 
ably below  freezing,  the  out-of-door  life  of  young  children  is  neces- 
sarily limited  to  short  periods,  but  except  when  the  wind  is  very 
high  or  when  the  cold  is  excessive  there  are  not  man}'  days  when  a 
child,  if  warmly  clad,  can  not  go  out  for  a  few  moments.  In  the 
milder  months  and  warmer  climates  only  extraordinary  winter  con- 
ditions should  be  allowed  to  keep  him  under  cover  all  day  long. 
Children  take  delight  in  a  mild  snowstorm  and  also  enjoy  ]>laying 
through  a  summer  rain  if  there  is  no  thunder  and  lightning.  Rubber 
hoots,  raincoats,  and  storm  hats  make  this  sort  of  play  feasible. 

Since  playing  in  water  may  be  attended  by  danger,  it  is  a  privi- 
lege seldom  gi-anted ;  but  where  there  is  a  clean,  shallow  bit  of  water, 
preferably  a  running  brook,  where  children  may  build  dams  and 
dikes,  with  towns  and  villages  on  either  side,  perhaps  connected  by 
bridges,  they  are  provided  with  a  never-ending  delight.  Needless  to 
say  they  should  be  clothed  in  such  a  way  that  they  need  not  think 
about  keeping  anything  clean  or  drv,  but  mav  enjoy  the  plav  to 
the  full. 

SWIMMING. 

Swimming  is  an  invaluable  exercise,  strengthening  every  part  of 
the  body  and  whenever  possible  a  child  should  be  taught  to  swim, 
beginning  as  early  as  the  fifth  or  sixth  year.  It  should  be  under- 
taken very  gradually,  allowing  the  child  frequent  intervals  of  rest 
and  permitting  him  to  remain  in  the  water  only  a  short  time  at  first, 
using  great  care  to  see  that  he  is  never  frightened,  even  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  taking  him  out  for  a  quick  and  thorough  rub-down  at  the 
first  sign  of  chilliness. 

SKATING. 

When  the  feet  and  ankles  are  in  normal  condition  skating  is  like- 
wise excellent  exercise  if  the  child  does  not  become  overtired  and 
overheated  or  carry  the  sport  to  great  excess. 

BICYCLING. 

Bicycling  is  a  favorite  sport  and  an  excellent  exercise.  A  flat, 
level  saddle  should  be  used,  so  adjusted  that  when  the  child  sits  in 
it  with  his  legs  extended  the  ball  of  the  foot  touches  the  pedal  when 
it  is  at  its  lowest  point.  This  is  good  exercise,  but  a  child  needs  to 
be  restrained  fi^om  riding  too  fast  or  too  long  at  a  time.  The  handle 
bars  should  be  in  such  a  position  that  the  child  sits  nearly  upriglit, 
not  stooping  forward  as  many  young  people  like  to  do. 


.  Dancing  is  one  of  the  best  forms  of  exercise,  although  it  is  usually 
esteemed  rather  as  an  accomplishment;  but  if  children  dance  out  of 


42  CHILD   CARE. 

doors  or  in  well- ventilated  rooms  at  suitable  hours,  and  under  careful 
adult  supervision,  it  becomes  an  invaluable  form  of  gymnastics. 

INDOOR  PLAY. 

Play  material  of  a  sort  which  best  pleases  children  is  at  hand  in 
nearly  every  home.  The  baby  often  finds  more  pleasure  in  a  string 
of  empty  spools  or  a  few  clothespins  than  in  the  rattles  and  balls 
which  liave  come  from  an  expensive  toyshop.  As  the  child  grows, 
articles  and  materials  at  hand,  if  properly  utilized,  will  give  great 
joy.  All  sorts  of  paper  may  be  used  for  folding  and  cutting  or  for 
scrapbooks.  Magazines  furnish  a  wealth  of  pictures  to  cut  out,  to 
paint,  or  to  paste. 

Crayons,  paints,  pencils  and  paper,  and  a  blackboard  will  not  only 
afford  much  pleasure  but  will  helo  to  teach  the  child  to  write  and 
draw  in  crude  fashion  at  an  early  age  and  help  to  train  eye  and 
hand  without  undue  strain  and  fatigue. 

A  printing  frame  and  a  supply  of  blue-print  paper,  on  which  may 
be  printed. the  outlines  of  leaves  and  flowers,  butterflies,  other  in- 
sects, and  many  natural  objects,  will  afford  hours  of  happy  occupa- 
tion to  children  old  enough  to  do  such  work.   , 

Wooden  boxes  may  be  used  for  stores,  doll  houses,  forts,  and  the 
like,  while  chairs  and  tables  will  readily  become  horses,  steamboats, 
stages,  and  a  thousand  other  things.  Old  cotton  cloth,  torn  into 
2-inch  strips  and  sewed  together  end  to  end,  will  make  yards  of 
reins  enough  to  drive  the  "  coach  and  four  "  which  is  so  easily  created 
cut  of  the  dining-room  chairs. 

The  most  successful  playthings  for  a  child  are  those  which  fur- 
nish the  material- out  of  which  he  may  construct  his  own  amusements, 
rather  than  those  which  amuse  him  but  give  him  little  to  do.  It  hi 
well  known  that  many  of  the  expensive  mechanical  toys  are  dis- 
carded after  a  brief  acquaintance  or  are  soon  ruined  in  the  attempt  to 
find  out  what  makes  them  go,  because  the  child  wants  to  do  some- 
thing rather  than  to  be  amused  or  entertained  by  a  performance  in 
which  he  has  little  part.  Among  the  mechanical  toys,  however, 
railroads  and  trains  of  all  sorts  have  a  perennial  joy  for  all  small 
boys.  With  the  tracks  in  sections  and  the  different  kinds  of  cars 
and  engines  he  is  able  to  construct  his  own  systems  according  to  his 
own  ideas.  Lead  and  tin  soldiers,  that  can  be  marshaled  to  suit  the 
will  of  their  general,  are  favorites,  and  also  horses,  dogs,  cats,  and 
other  animals,  all  of  which  lend  themselves  readily  to  many  uses. 
All  sorts  of  toy  vehicles  (such  as  wagons,  carts,  tricycles,  and  car- 
riages), small  brooms,  carpet  sweepers,  and  other  articles  for  doll 
housekeeping  are  adapted  to  play  in  which  the  imaginative  element 
is  most  important.     Books,  drawing,  sewing,  writing,  and  building 


THE    PRESCPIOOL    AGE.  43 

materials  all  have  their  place,  and  many  of  these  are  at  hand  in  every 
home. 

One  of  the  best  possible  toys  is  a  big  box  of  plain,  smooth,  wooden 
blocks.  They  can  seldom  be  purchased  in  the  stores  and  must 
usually  be  sawed  from  planed  lumber  at  a  mill,  by  a  carpenter,  or  by 
an  ingenious  parent.  Mr.  H.  G.  Wells,  in  his  book  Floor  Games,^ 
gives  the  following  as  the  proper  sizes  for  such  blocks:  Wliole 
blocks,  4^  by  2^  by  1^^  inches;  half  blocks,  2^  by  2^  by  1^  inches;  and 
quarters  made  by  sawing  the  latter  in  two.  Almost  any  wood  may 
be  used  to  make  these  blocks  except  that  which  is  likely  to  split  or 
splinter  or  that  which  readily  warps.  In  the  northern  and  western 
States,  maple  and  birch  are  usually  available;  in  the  South,  short- 
leaf  pine  and  yellow  poplar;  and  in  the  Far  West,  the  sugar  pine 
or  western  white  pine.  Basswood,  beech,  or  sycamore  may  be  used. 
Blocks  of  hardwood,  like  oak,  may  be  passed  down  from  one  gen- 
eration to  another.  A  box  or  chest  to  keep  them  in  is  almost  a 
necessity.  In  addition  to  tlie  blocks — from  which  no  end  of  things 
can  be  constructed — Mr.  Wells  likes  to  have  some  play  boards  ot 
the  same  wood,  18  by  9,  9  by  9,  and  9  by  4r\  inches.  These  boards 
make  oceans,  islands.  States,  counties,  platforms,  stages,  and  may 
serve  also  as  roofs,  walls,  tents,  and  targets.  There  can  hardly  be 
too  many  of  the  blocks,  but  a  hundred  will  make  a  fair  start.  ^  Thus 
furnished,  a  child  or  a  group  of  children  will  need  only  some 
parental  suggestions,  a  word  of  encouragement  now  and  then,  with 
possibly  some  adjudicatior  of  disputed  questions,  to  pass  many  happy 
hours  in  constructive  plaj'. 

One  of  the  favorite  forms  of  play  for  all  children  is  blowing  soap 
bul^bles,  and  on  stormy  days  this  will  prove  a  great  resource.  Chil- 
dren must  never  be  allowed  to  put  other  children's  pipes  into  their 
own  mouths.  The  following  method  of  preparing  the  soapy  water  is 
excellent ; 

Put  into  a  pint  bottle  2  ounces  of  best  Castile  soap,  cut  into  tliiu  shavings,  and 
fill  the  bottle  with  cold  water  which  has  been  first  boiled  and  then  left  to  cool. 
Shake  well  together  and  allow  the  bottle  to  stand  until  the  upper  part  of  the 
solution  is  clear.  Decant  now  this  clear  solution  of  two  parts,  adding  one  part 
glycerine,  and  you  will  have  an  ideal  soap-bubble  mixture.  With  some  practice 
bubbles  measuring  8  or  10  inches  in  diameter  may  be  produced  and  a  stand 
for  them  be  provided  by  soaping  the  edge  of  a  tumbler.  If  any  old  soft  mate- 
rial is  laid  on  the  floor  and  the  room  divided  into  halves  by  a  shawl  or  blanket 
hung  across,  the  children  may  be  arranged  in  two  opposing  camps  and  have 
a  very  good  match  game,  devising  their  own  rules  as  to  size  and  number  of 
bubbles,  whether  they  shall  be  kept  in  the  air  by  fanning,  how  much  it  shall 
count  if  a  bubble  falls  or  strays  across  the  line,  etc.* 

'  Wells,  H.  G.  :  Floor  Games,  p.  19.     Small,  IMaynarcl  &  Co..  Boston. 
"  Smith,  Nora  A. :  The  Home-made  Kindergarten,  p.  75.     Houghton,  Mifflin  Co.,  Boston, 
1912. 


44  CHILD  CAEE. 

Another  favorite  game  is  inodeliiig  in  some  plastic  material. 
Modeling  clay  may  be  bought,  but  a  homely  substitute  is  prepared  by 
mixing  one  cup  of  flour  and  one-half  cup  of  salt  with  a  little  water, 
making  a  dough  out  of  which  beads  and  other  things  may  be 
molded. 

THE    PLAYROOM. 

Too  many  homes,  even  those  where  there  is  no  lack  of  means  for 
tlie  necessary  margin  of  choice,  are  furnished  without  apparent  re- 
gard for  the  needs  or  rights  of  children.  Often  it  is  hardly  possible 
for  a  child  to  find  a  place  to  play  or  to  use  his  own  things  without 
having  to  be  continually  warned  against  breaking  or  harming  some- 
thing. It  is  plainly  unjust  to  any  child  to  surround  him  with  fur- 
nishings designed  entirely  to  accommodate  grown-up  people  and  ask 
him  to  respect  them  unless  there  is  somewhere  a  place  in  which  his 
rights  are  supreme  and  where  the  grown-ups  must  pay  equal  respect 
to  his  possessions.  For  this  reason  there  should  alwaj^s  be  some 
room,  or  at  least  a  corner  of  the  family  living  room,  where  the  child 
may  keep  his  own  things  and  use  them  in  peace. 

The  ideal  rooms  for  children  contain  only  such  furniture  as  is 
necessary  for  comfort  and  convenience,  and  this  should  be  simple 
and  easily  kept  clean.  Washable  painted  walls,  bare  hardwood  or 
painted  floors,  simple  curtains,  and  painted  furniture  are  suitable. 
If  wall  paper  is  used,  it  should  be  inexpensive  so  that  it  can  be  fre- 
quently renewed.  The  windows  should  have  opaque  shades  to  shut 
out  the  hot  sun  and  should  be  screened  against  flies  and  insects. 
The  chairs,  tables,  beds,  shelves,  bookcases,  and  all  the  other  necessary 
articles  of  furniture  should  be  small  and  low.  The  continual  effort 
to  adapt  the  strength,  size,  and  skill  of  children  to  the  furniture  of 
grown  persons  results  in  no  little  irritation,  some  of  which  might  be 
easily  relieved.  A  stool  or  hassock  or  even  a  low  box  on  which  he 
may  stand  will  save  much  trouble.  An  ordinary  kitchen  table  or 
common  sewing  table  with  the  legs  sawed  off  about  halfway  will 
afford  untold  comfort  to  the  children  at  their  work  or  play.  It 
should  be  painted  and  should  rest  firmly  on  the  floor.  Pine  kitchen 
chairs  painted  white,  with  the  legs  sawed  off  to  the  proper  height, 
will  serve  the  purpose.  Added  to  this  there  should  be  some  shelves 
or  drawers  where  work  and  playthings  can  be  kept  within  easy  reach. 
Such  an  equipment  as  this  in  a  sunny,  cheerful  room,  with  plenty  of 
fresh  air  and  warmed  in  winter  to  68°  F.  will  provide  an  amrunt  of 
happiness  to  the  children  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  cost. 

CHILDREN  AND  ENTERTAINMENTS. 

Children  who  are  provided  with  the  opportunity  for  natural  and 
wholesome  play  at  home  have  little  need  for  entertainment  outside. 


THE    PBESCHOOL   AGE.  45 

The  youngest  children  should  be  in  bed  and  asleep  by  7  p.  m.,  and  the 
older  ones  soon  after,  in  order  to  get  the  amount  of  sleep  they  re- 
quire for  health.  If  taken  to  the  motion  pictures  or  other  place  of 
entertainment  in  the  evening  they  not  only  lose  sleep  whicli  is  not 
usually  made  up,  but  are  apt  to  be  overexcited  and  tired.  The  close 
air,  the  brilliant  lights,  the  confusion  and  noise  of  public  entertain- 
ments are  all  bad  for  children,  especrally  for  those  who  are  inclined 
to  be  nervous  and  excitable.  In  addition,  there  is  considerable 
chance  of  exposure  to  infectious  disease  in  any  public  gathering. 

Children's  parties  often  seem  to  be  given  more  to  gratify  the 
mother's  desire  to  give  her  children  pleasure  than  because  they  ac- 
tually have  that  result,  judging  from  the  comments  of  the  children — 
both  hosts  and  guests.  The  attempt  to  play  naturally  in  dress  clothes 
which  need  to  be  taken  care  of,  the  eating  of  miusual  foods  at  an 
irregular  hour,  and  the  necessity  of  remembering  one's  formal  man- 
ners all  contribute  to  the  failure  of  such  a  party  and  to  the  disap- 
pointment of  the  mother. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  most  important  part  of  any  child's  train- 
ing to  learn  to  practice  hospitality  naturally  and  generously.  He 
should  be  encouraged  to  invite  his  friends  to  his  home,  to  share  his 
play  and  his  meals,  and  also  to  accept  this  simple  and  natural  form 
of  hospitality  from  others.  This  kind  of  entertainment  involves  no 
special  dressing,  no  unusual  food  or  irregular  lumrs,  and  serves  to 
teach  children  much  that  is  wholesome  for  them  to  learn,  including  a 
respect  for  the  rights  and  opinions  of  others. 

DISCIPLINE  AND  EDUCATION. 

The  relation  of  parents  to  children  and  the  position  of  the  children 
in  the  home  are  quite  different  in  the  present  day  from  those  which 
prevailed  when  the  saying  "  children  should  be  seen  and  not  heard  " 
expressed  the  usual  attitude  of  the  adult  mind.  Suppression  and 
repression  are  largely  giving  place  to  encouragement  and  apprecia- 
tion in  the  family  training  of  children.  Under  the  old  idea  children 
were  regarded  as  plastic  material  to  be  molded  into  what  shape  the 
parents  desired;  under  the  new  it  is  believed  that  the  chief  duty  of 
parents  after  providing  food,  shelter,  warmth,  and  clothing  for  their 
children  is  to  understand  them,  and  to  surround  them  with  loving 
and  sympathetic  guidance  while  their  development  proceeds  as  nature 
intended.  It  is  from  the  mother,  most  especially,  that  this  guidance 
will  come.    A  recent  writer  says : 

*  *  *  It  is  of  the  average  mother  that  I  am  particularly  thinking,  the 
mother  who  has  had  an  average  schooling,  who  has  an  average  income ;  and  I 
am  thinking,  too,  of  the  mother  even  below  this  average,  who  has  had  little 
training  and  education,  but  who  is  naturally  intelligent  and  who  has  just  as 
keen  sensibilities  and  desires  and  ambitions  for  her  children  as  those  who  have 


46  CHILD  CARE. 

had  more  fortunate  opportunities.  It  is  to  them  that  I  wish  to  make  clear,  in 
the  first  place,  that  they,  as  parents,  have  in  their  power,  in  their  hands,  either 
to  make  or  break  the  lives  of  their  children.  *  *  *  It  is  to  them  that  I 
want  to  point  out  the  importance  of  the  first  years,  the  tenderest,  the  most 
formative  period  of  the  child's  life;  to  show  how  the  commonplaces,  what  we 
consider  the  trivial  things,  affect  him,  how  these  very  same  commonplaces  can 
be  made  to  serve  him  and  develop  him ;  and  how  through  a  new  attitude 
--^  toward  the  little  child  the  mother  cati  not  only  vastly  improve  her  child  over 
what  he  otherwise  would  be,  but  by  so  doing  can  make  the  most  of  herself  and 
of  her  life,  and  bring  to  herself  a  greater  happiness  and  to  society  a  greater 
service.^ 

To  reach  this  understanding  of  child  life  perhaps  the  first  essen- 
tial is  that  parents  shall  "become  as  little  children"  themselves;  that 
is,  they  must  be  willing  to  renounce  the  position  of  tyrant  or  dictator 
for  that  of  "  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend." 

Another  essential  is  that  the  child  shall  have  freedom  of  ex- 
pression. Children  can  not  be  quite  natural  while  under  arbitrary 
rules  or  even  when  they  are  continually  conscious  of  observation  and 
inspection,  however  friendly  this  may  be.  Therefore  the  child  must 
be  free  to  exhibit  his  natural  qualities,  if  the  parent  is  to  find  out 
what  those  are.  This  does  not  mean  that  a  child  is  to  be  given  abso- 
lute control  over  his  own  actions,  to  do  as  he  pleases  at  all  times,  but 
that  when  he  is  going  about  his  own  legitimate  business  of  play 
or  work  he  shall  not  be  hampered  by  unnecessary  restriction  and 
repression. 

A  third  essential  is  that  the  parent  shall  strive  to  recognize  the 
inborn  traits  of  character  which  lie  back  of  behavior.  For  example, 
the  high-spirited,  energetic  child  who  is  full  of  eager  curiosity  in 
everything  about  him  may  exhibit  at  times  fits  of  ugly  temper,  even 
viciousness,  if  he  has  no  legitimate  outlet  for  his  natural  inclinations; 
but  high  spirits,  energy,  and  curiosity  are  all  invaluable  human 
traits  when  turned  into  proper  channels,  and  the  mother  must  try 
to  look  back  of  the  violence  and  ugliness  to  find  out  why  the  funda- 
mental qualities  have  been  twisted  into  this  unfortunate  expression. 
Children  are  often  described  by  their  mothers  as  willful,  sullen,  un- 
manageable, sly,  contrary,  ugly,  stubborn,  or  even  stupid,  without 
the  least  recognition  of  the  fact  that  such  manifestations  are  often 
only  the  result  of  the  unhappy  perversion  of  excellent  inherent  qual- 
ities. The  sullen,  silent  child  was  perhaps  unduly  sensitive  and 
needed  not  to  be  ridiculed,  but  to  be  gently  led  out  of  his  morbid  shy- 
ness into  an  interest  in  things  outside  himself.  The  capricious,  un- 
grateful, selfish  child  may  be  rebelling  against  having  too  much  clone 
for  him.  Eye,  hand,  and  brain  may  be  suffering  for  occupation. 
The  stupid  child  may  be  stupid  only  because  the  things  which  in- 
terest others  do  not  interest  him,  and  in  some  moment  when  he  is  off 


1  Scott,  Miriam  Finn,  How  to  Know  Your  Child,  pp.  10,  11. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  47- 

his  guard  the  mother  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  him  absorbed  with  in- 
terest in  an  undreamed-of  field.  To  develop  and  expand  this  interest 
until  he  is  no  longer  stupid  or  dull  but  may  even  go  beyond  his 
fellows,  is  often  comparatively  easy. 

It  therefore  follows  that  to  cope  successfully  with  the  problems  of 
childhood  parents  must  be  able  to  recognize  their  own  mistakes  and 
to  change  their  methods,  if  necessary,  to  fit  the  case. 

HABITS. 

We  become  "creatures  of  habit,"  but  we  are  born  entirely  with- 
out habits,  and  it  is  as  easy  in  the  beginning  to  learn  good  habits 
as  to  learn  bad  ones;  and  in  the  plastic  years  of  early  childhood,  when 
the  child  is  receiving  tliose  impressions  Avhich  will  stamp  the  per- 
manent pattern  of  his  mind  and  character,  it  is  most  necessary  to 
teach  him  habits  which  he  will  not  have  to  unlearn  when  he  grows 
older.  The  baby  who  has  been  properly  taken  care  of  tliroughout 
infancy  has  already  learned  something  of  the  habit  of  regularity 
through  the  daily  repetition  of  the  routine  events  of  his  life.  He  has 
learned  to  expect  his  food,  his  naps,  and  his  outings  at  about  the 
same  time  every  day,  and,  since  these  things  come  to  him  through 
mother  or  nurse,  to  obey  to  some  extent  such  regular  calls.  As  the 
child  grows  older  his  activities  continually  increase,  his  hereditary 
traits  appear,  and  the  simple  routine  of  babyhood  is  complicated  by 
the  necessity  of  providing  outlet  for  his  developing  energies  and 
interests. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  small  matter  to  take  care  of  a  healthy,  growing 
child,  and  if  there  are  two  or  three  to  be  taken  care  of  at  once  it  is 
not  strange  that  the  mother's  nerves  sometimes  give  way  under  the 
strain.  The  endless  doing  over  and  over  of  the  same  small  things, 
which  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  physical  care  of  the  child, 
requires  endless  patience,  and  for  this  task — the  greatest  in  the 
world — a  mother  must  fortify  herself  by  the  best  possible  care  of  her 
own  body,  including  proper  food,  sleep,  rest,  exercise,  and  recreation. 

OBEDIENCE. 

The  3"oung  child  should  know  no  other  way  than  to  do  what  he 
is  told.  A  lawless,  ungovernable  child,  who  respects  neither  the 
rights  of  others  nor  the  authority  of  his  elders,  who  rides  roughshod 
over  everyone  about,  who  eats  without  regard  to  time  or  place,  who 
gets  his  own  way  by  crying  or  by  stubborn  insistence,  is  a  nuisance 
to  everyone  concerned,  and  at  the  same  time  he  is  doing  himself 
irremediable  harm.  Discipline  begins  in  infancy,  and  throughout 
the  whole  period  of  childhood  constant  discipline — which  is  guid- 
ance, not  punishment — should  surround  the  child,  protecting  him 
from  the  formation  of  bad  habits  and  teaching  him  fundamental 
lessons  of  seif-denial  and  self-control. 


48  CHILD  CARE. 

Ever}'  child  should  be  able  to  respect  the  authoritj^  of  his  parents 
and  to  look  up  to  them  as  the  fountainheads  of  wisdom  and  help, 
whose  counsel  he  follows  because  he  knows  his  father  and  mother 
are  his  best  friends  and  not  because  he  is  compelled  to  do  so  through 
fear.    But,  as  a  recent  writer  has  said : 

The  ideal  freedom  behind  the  best  methods  of  child  training  means  freedom 
from  unnecessary  suppression,  from  thouf?htless,  unreasonable,  unjust,  unsym- 
patlietic  guidance ;  it  means  freedom  from  blind,  arbitrary  direction ;  it  means 
freedom  to  grow,  to  develop  naturally  and  normally  under  constant,  consistent, 
and  thoughtful  direction/ 

The  lack  of  regard  for  the  reasonableness  of  children's  wishes  and 
the  arbitrary  and  unreasoning  suppression  of  them  are  among  the 
common  causes  of  bad  behavior  in  children.  Enforced  and  rigid 
obedience  to  the  commands  of  the  parent,  arbitrarily  given  to-day 
and  perhaps  neglected  to-morrow  according  to  the  mood  or  caprice 
of  the  mother  or  father,  is  almost  certain  to  lead  either  to  outright 
disobedience  or  to  deceitfulness.  Obedience  viewed  merely  as  an 
abstract  virtue  is  not  necessarily  virtuous.  In  fact,  it  is  often  quite 
the  opposite  both  in  the  resultant  behavior  of  the  child  and  in  its 
effect  upon  his  character.  Some  of  the  most  obedient  children  have 
the  least  moral  responsibility  and  are  easily  led  into  wrongdoing  by 
others,  because  the  habit  of  unquestioning  and  unreasoning  accept- 
ance of  superior  authority  has  been  so  thoroughly  fixed  in  them  in 
childhood  that  as  they  grow  they  have  little  independence  of  judg- 
ment or  will  power  left  to  direct  their  own  affairs.  Parents  have  no 
right  to  exact  from  their  children  instant  obedience  save  when  the 
line  of  conduct  insisted  upon  will  either  serve  to  protect  the  child 
from  physical  or  mental  harm,  to  develop  his  own  character,  will, 
mind,  or  judgment,  and  thus  insure  his  ultimate  welfare  and  happi- 
Jiess,  or  to  protect  the  rights  of  others.  A  weary  mother  harassed 
beyond  endurance  easily  falls  into  the  habit  of  "  nagging."  It  is 
very  common  to  hear  a  young,  nervous  mother  saying  "  don't "  to 
the  child  so  many  times  a  day  that  to  obey  would  be  physically  im- 
po.ssible  unless  the  child  were  asleep.  It  is  almost  inevitable  that 
the  child  in  such  a  case  will  learn  little  or  nothing  of  true  obedience. 

PUNISHMENT. 

As  long  as  rigid  obedience  is  exacted  there  must  be  a  penalty'  for 
disobedience.  This  penalty  is  often  quite  as  arbitrary  and  meaning- 
less as  the  command  and,  like  it,  may  be  giA^en  as  the  result  of 
momentary  feeling  in  the  parent. 

Harsh  punishment  inflicted  in  anger  relieves  the  parent's  over- 
charged mind,  but  in  most  cases  it  serves  no  other  useful  purpose 
and,  in  the  last  analysis,  often  does  irremediable  harm.     Spanking 

1  Scott.  Miriam  Finn,  ITow  to  Know  Tour  Child,  p.  108. 


THE   PRESCHOOL   AGE.  49 

and  whipping  are  the  easist  forms  of  punishment  and  the  least  intel- 
ligent. The  parent,  angered  by  something  the  child  has  or  has  not 
done,  vents  his  own  fur^^  in  this  way.  There  is  little  logic  in  such  a 
punishment,  and  less  justice.  The  chastisement  is  not  measured  to  fit 
the  scale  of  the  offense ;  its  severity  depends  largely  upon  the  physical 
strength  of  the  parent  and  the  degi-ee  to  which  he  is  incensed.  The 
animal  rage  which  it  creates  in  the  parent  weakens  his  self-respect,  and 
the  majority  of  parents  are  heartily  ashamed  of  themselves  after  such 
a  scene  with  a  child.  It  is  not  conducive  to  comfort  to  know  that 
simply  because  one  is  larger  and  stronger  one  has  permitted  oneself 
to  inflict  brute  force  upon  a  child.  But  the  effect  of  corporal  pun- 
ishment is  even  more  to  be  deplored  for  its  effect  upon  the  child. 
Leaving  out  of  account  the  possible  case  in  which  lasting  physical 
injury  is  inflicted,  it  Avill  still  be  true  that  in  most  cases  the  child's 
rebellion  against  being  overcome  and  made  to  yield  to  the  superior 
strength  of  another  engenders  in  him  phj^sical  fear,  anger,  and 
hatred.  In  either  case,  the  punishment  has  not  only  failed  to  accom- 
plish its  only  legitimate  objects,  namely,  to  make  the  child  sorry  for 
what  he  has  done  and  to  give  him  a  desire  to  do  better,  but  has 
permanently  weakened  the  relation  which  ought  to  exist  between 
parent  and  child. 

The  best  preventive  of  mischief  is  to  provide  the  child  with  plenty 
of  legitimate  occupations,  interests,  and  amusements.  Idleness  is 
the  bane  of  childhood.  Every  normal  child  must  have  work  for 
hand,  eye,  and  brain,  and  if  proper  activities  are  not  provided  he 
will  be  sure  to  find  others  for  himself.  It  must  also  be  remembered 
that  much  of  what  critical  adults  term  "  mischief  "  is  not  such  at  all 
from  the  child's  standpoint,  but  is  merely  the  result  of  a  perfectly 
normal  instinct  on  his  part  which  leads  him  to  seek  something  to  do. 
Parents  should  try  to  discriminate  between  deliberatel}^  bad  behavior 
and  that  which  is  quite  innocent  of  such  intention,  however  annoying 
it  may  be  in  its  results. 

EDUCATION. 

Much  of  a  child's  earliest  education — often  the  most  valuable  and 
enduring  part — is  that  which  is  unconsciously  acquired  at  home,  not 
b}''  precept  or  teaching,  but  by  imitation.  From  beginning  of  life  the 
child  is  copying  the  sights  and  sounds  about  him.  Thus  he  learns  to 
speak  his  first  words,  and  from  that  time  on  through  his  entire 
childhood  he  unconsciously  imitates  the  language,  manners,  and 
emotions  of  the  older  people  about  him.  He  repeats  the  tricks  of 
speech  and  manner  which  they  constantly  employ.  If  a  child  lives 
among  people  whose  language  is  correct  and  agreeable,  whose  man- 
ners are  pleasant,  who  show  always  a  thoughful  consideration  for 

79312°— IS— Bull.  30 -4 


50  CHILD   care/ 

otliers,  and  whose  beliavior  is  gentle  and  kindly,  the  child  uncon- 
sciously acquires  similar  ways.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  child  grows 
up  among  people  who  are  scolding,  faultfinding,  complaining,  or 
quarrelsome,  something  of  such  tendencies  will  almost  surely  per- 
sist, however  much  he  may  learn  to  abhor  these  qualities  in  later  life ; 
and  such  lessons  in  conduct  and  manners  are  probably  never  fully 
eradicated.  Good  manners  are  an  invaluable  asset  to  every  person. 
Their  root  and  foundation  lie  in  unselfishness  and  consideration 
for  the  rights  of  others ;  and  only  the  constant  daily  exercise  of  these 
qualities  will  give  the  children  that  charm  of  manner  which  is  a 
delight  in  persons  of  every  age. 

A  normal  child  is  full  of  curiosity  about  everything  in  the  world, 
and  through  his  questions  the  parent  has  boundless  opportunity  to 
lay  the  foundations  of  a  broad  and  practical  education  if  the  child's 
questions,  even  in  babyhood,  are  met  with  respect  and  answered  with 
truth.  However  trivial  or  stupid  the  questions  may  seem  to  the  busy 
or  impatient  adult  they  are  all-important  to  the  child,  and  if  he 
can  not  count  on  sympathy  and  attention  from  his  own  family  he 
will  have  missed  something  which  can  never  be  made  up  to  him.  It 
is  not  necessary  that  all  questions  should  be  answered  at  once,  nor 
fully.  If  the  mother  is  busy  or  tired,  she  can  ask  the  child  to  come  to 
her  at  another  time  when  she  has  time  to  talk  to  him.  Here,  as  in 
every  other  aspect  of  child  care,  the  new  vision  of  parenthood  in  which 
the  parents  are  the  companions  and  friends  of  their  children,  it  is 
impossible  to  treat  the  child's  questions  with  rudeness,  ridicule,  or 
untruthfulness.  A  child  is  quick  to  detect  deceit.  When  dishonest 
or  fanciful  replies  are  frequently  given  him,  there  may  grow  up  in 
his  mind  a  disrespect  for  the  opinions  of  his  parents  and  a  suspicion 
of  their  motives  which  will  be  fatal  to  the  establishment  of  com- 
plete harmony  at  a  later  stage  of  life. 

SEX   EDUCATION. 

Parents  should  be  the  child's  first  teachers  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
fields  of  education.  When  the  child  does  begin  to  ask  questions  he 
should  be  given  simple,  honest,  dignified,  and  sufficient  answers.  Even 
more  depends  upon  the  manner  and  behavior  of  the  mother  and  father 
than  upon  the  actual  information  given.  If  the  child  sees  that  his 
mother  is  interested,  that  she  treats  his  inquiries  with  respect  and  an- 
swers them  gladly,  the  foundation  is  laid  for  a  cleanliness  of  mind 
which  should  persist  and  safeguard  the  child  throughout  life.  One 
who  is  put  off  with  subterfuge  or  with  palpable  evasion,  or  more  espe- 
cially one  who  is  summarily  silenced,  may  not  return  again  with  his 
question  but  will  probably  later  find  a  readier  informant  in  some 
sophisticated  companion  of  the  street,  school,  or  kitchen.     If  these 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  •       51 

natural  questions  are  disregarded  or  evaded  the  child  is  quick  to 
color  his  own  concepts  in  the  same  way.  He  soon  discovers  that 
there  are  certain  subjects  which  grown-up  persons  will  not  talk 
with  him  about,  his  curiosity  is  stirred,  and  he  will  not  rest  until  he 
has  found  some  sort  of  an  answer  to  his  questions.  The  tragedy 
of  this  building  of  reserve  between  child  and  parent  appear^  not 
so  much  in  these  early  yeai*s  as  5  or  10  years  later,  when  the  pro- 
tection and  guidance  of  parents  through  the  critical  years  of  adoles- 
cence are  so  sorely  needed  but  may  be  neither  sought  nor  offered. 

The  child's  first  questions  are  almost  sure  to  be  as  to  where  babies 
come  from,  and  all  mothers  can  answer  this  question  honestly  and 
directly  by  saying  that  the  baby  came  from  mother.  Then  if  he 
pursues  the  subject  he  should  be  told  that  babies  of  all  kinds,  such 
as  colts,  lambs,  kittens,  rabbits,  or  puppies  (using  whatever  illus- 
tration is  most  familiar  to  the  child),  as  well  as  human  babies,  must 
have  a  warm,  quiet  place  to  stay  while  they  are  very  little  and  so 
the  mother  keeps  the  baby  in  a  nice  little  home,  or  nest,  or  room, 
under  her  heart,  where  no  harm  can  come  to  him  imtil  he  is  strong 
enough  to  live  outside.  If  a  new  baby  is  expected  in  the  family  or 
in  a  neighboring  family  this  will  afford  the  best  sort  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  tell  the  child  what  a  mother  is  and  how  careful  they  must 
be  of  her  while  the  new  baby  is  growing.^ 

In  this  first  period,  when  the  child's  awakening  curiosity  embraces 
every  fact  which  comes  under  his  observation  and  when  it  is  easiest 
to  guide  him  into  a  clean  and  healthy  view  of  all  physical  manifes- 
tations of  life,  it  is  miportant  to  begin  to  instill  habits  of  personal 
cleanliness.  Incidental  to  the  bath  the  mother  may  mention  that  the 
sex  organs  must  not  be  handled  except  to  wash  them,  adding,  if  neces- 
sary, that  boys  and  girls  who  play  with  their  sex  organs  may  not 
grow  up  as  strong  and  healthy  as  they  should.^  Such  hygienic 
advice  should  be  given  plainly  and  simph'',  without  unnecessary 
stress  and  without  opening  the  way  for  argument  or  discussion,  and 
especiallj'"  without  rousing  the  child's  curiosity  and  leaving  him 
unsatisfied. 

To  avoid  embarrassing  situations  the  mother  should  make  it  plain 
from  the  first  that  it  is  not  good  manners  to  talk  about  these  things 
with  anyone  except  mother  or  father,  explaining  that  other  people 
will  not  be  as  much  interested  nor  as  well  able  to  tell  him  what  he 
wants  to  know ;  also  that  it  is  better  to  ask  questions  when  one  is 
alone  with  father  or  mother  rather  than  at  the  table  or  when  other 
people  are  about. 

^  See  references  to  books  and  articles  on  sex  hj^giene  in  the  Appenxiix,  p.  81. 
=  See  Infant  Care,  p.  62. 


52  CHILD  CAEE. 

HEALTH  AND  HYGIENE. 

CARE  OF  THE  SKIN. 

The  skin  is  far  more  than  a  mere  covering  for  the  body.  It  is 
a  vast  organ  of  sensation  and  also  the  heat  regulator  of  the  body, 
radiating  the  bodily  heat  when  the  weather  is  hot  and  conserving 
it  when  the  weather  is  cold.  In  hot  weather  its  millions  of  tiny 
sweat  glands  pour  out  their  droplets  of  moisture  which  cool  the 
surface  of  the  body  as  they  evaporate;  when  exposed  to  cold  they 
contract  and  prevent  the  escape  of  the  heat.  The  skin  is  also  an 
indispensable  organ  of  excretion,  discharging  a  great  amount  of 
waste  material  through  the  glands.  If  it  is  prevented  from  per- 
forming this  function  to  any  considerable  degree,  as  when  a  large 
part  of  the  skin  is  burned,  the  body  can  not  live.  Further,  the  ac- 
tivity of  the  capillary  circulation  depends  in  no  small  degree  upon 
the  condition  of  the  skin.  For  all  these  reasons,  therefore,  it  is 
most  important  to  keep  the  skin  clean  and  active. 

Soap  and  water  are  the  important  agents  of  cleanliness,  practically 
available  to  all.  As  far  as  the  child  is  concerned,  nothing  else  is 
required.  Powder  should  be  used  only  in  minute  quantities. and 
only  upon  opposing  surfaces,  such  as  between  the  buttocks  or  in  the 
armpits.  Powder,  creams,  and  ointments  clog  the  pores  of  the  skin 
and  thus  destroy  some  part  of  the  value  of  the  bath.  Even  soap 
rubbed  directly  upon  the  skin  without  being  first  dissolved  to  a 
lather  in  warm  water  does  the  same  thing,  and  for  this  reason  it 
must  be  thoroughly  well  rinsed  out  at  the  ?lose  of  the  bath.  Oint- 
ments and  applications  are  sometimes  necessary  in  the  cure  or 
relief  of  various  troubles,  but  when  the  skin  is  healthy  and  clean  the 
less  foreign  matter  rubbed  into  it  the  better. 

BATHS   AND   BATHING.^ 

Among  the  many  services  which  the  mother  renders  the  child  one 
of  the  most  valuable  is  teaching  him  those  ideals  of  personal  clean- 
liness upon  which  health  and  self-respect  are  built.  A  child  who 
learns  to  love  a  clean  body,  clean  hands,  teeth,  nose,  and  mouth 
can  never  altogether  forego  them  as  he  grows  into  manhood. 

Busy  mothers  with  several  young  children  to  keep  clean,  without 
modern  bathing  appliances  it  may  be,  and  sometimes  without  an 
adequate  and  convenient  water  supply,  jfind  the  children's  daily 
baths  a  great  burden.  But  even  in  the  least  favorable  circumstances 
some  sort  of  baths  can  be  had. 


1  For  special  baths,  including  sea  bathing,  see  Infant  Care,  Cliildren's  Bureau  Publica- 
tion No.  8,  pp.  2G-29. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  53 

The  small  tub  of  tin  or  enameled  ware  or  even  an  earthen  or  tin 
ba.-in  which  has  been  used  for  the  baby  will  answer  for  the  child 
until  he  has  outgrown  it.  In  a  house  fitted  with  modern  plumbing 
the  small  tub  may  be  used  inside  the  large  one  or  placed  on  a  board 
laid  across  the  top  of  the  sot  tub  so  that  the  mother  will  not  have  to 
bend  over.  Wliere  these  conveniences  can  not  be  had  the  child  may 
learn  to  take  his  bath  in  a  small  tub.  It  should  be  placed  on  a  low 
table  or  chair  to  suit  the  height  of  the  child.  The  head  and  neck 
are  first  washed  and  dried,  then  the  arms  and  chest;  after  this  the 
tub  should  be  placed  on  the  fioor  with  a  piece  of  oilcloth  under  it, 
and  while  the  child  stands  in  the  water  the  legs  and  other  parts  of 
the  body  are  washed  and  the  bath  is  finished  with  a  quick  rinsing  of 
the  skin  by  pouring  a  pitcher  of  tepid  water  over  the  whole  body. 

A  hot  bath,  that  is  with  the  temperature  of  the  Avater  at  100°  F. 
or  over,  should  rarelj  be  given  to  children  and  then  only  under  care- 
ful direction.  It  is  sometimes  resorted  to  by  physicians  in  certain 
illnesses,  but  children  have  not  infrequently  been  seriously  burned 
from  being  plunged  by  panic-stricken  parents  into  water  that  was 
too  hot  when  some  emergencv  has  arisen.  A  bath  thermometer  is 
an  inexpensive  convenience  in  the  household. 

Warm  water,  at  95°  to  98°  F.,  is  used  with  soap  to  cleanse  the  skin 
of  oily  impurities  and  to  remove  surface  dirt.  Such  a  bath  relaxes 
the  muscles,  expands  the  pores  of  the  skin,  and  makes  the  child  sleepy, 
and  in  most  cases  should  not  be  given  oftener  than  twice  a  week. 
The  daily  bath  should  be  given  in  tepid  water  at  about  90°  F.  Cool 
water,  at  a  temperature  of  about  85°  F.,  may  be  used  after  the  warm 
bath  to  close  the  pores  and  stimulate  the  skin  and  to  help  rinse  off 
the  soap.  The  effect  of  a  warm  bath  is  weakening,  and  for  this  rea- 
son it  should  not  be  given  too  frequently  nor  shoidd  the  child  be  al- 
lowed to  stay  in  a  warm  tub  more  than  a  few  minutes. 

To  prevent  taldng  cold  after  a  warm  or  tepid  bath  the  child  should  be 
gradually  accustomed  to  the  cool  douche.  This  may  be  accomplished 
by  pouring  or  splashing  cool  water  over  his  chest,  neck,  and  arms  as 
he  stands  with  his  feet  in  warm  Avater.  As  he  grows  older  he  can 
easily  learn  to  take  his  morning  bath  in  cooler  water,  especially  if 
a  shower  bath  is  available  under  which  he  can  run  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  effect  of  the  cold  bath,  with  the  water  from  65°  to 
40°  F.,  is  to  drive  the  blood  from  the  surface  and  close  the 
pores  of  the  skin.  If  the  circulation  is  strong  there  is  a  quick  reac- 
tion to  this  shock  and  the  blood  returns  to  the  surface  with  redoubled 
force  bringing  a  glow  and  a  tingle  to  the  skin.  If  the  circulation  is  slug- 
gish or  the  nervous  force  so  low  that  there  is  no  such  immediate  reac- 
tion and  the  child  shivers  and  his  lips  and  fingers  turn  blue  the  effect 
may  be  very  injurious;  or  if  the  child  seems  weak  and  languid  after 
the  cold  bath  it  is  unsuited  to  that  particular  child  and  should  be 


'54  CHILD  CARE. 

cliscontiiiue(L  With  such  children  a  tepid  bath  followed  by  a  com- 
plete rubbing  of  the  body  in  the  hope  of  increasing  the  power  o;^  re- 
action will  be  more  suitable.  A  rapid  rubbing  of  the  entire  body 
with  a  towel  which  has  been  wrung  out  of  cold  salt  water  as  dry  as 
possible,  is  a  good  substitute  for  the  cool  bath,  and  gives  a  delightful 
glow  and  warmth  to  the  skin. 

If  a  child  has  cold  feet  habitually  they  should  have  a  brisk  rubbmg 
eyerj  night,  dipping  them  first  in  cold  water  in  which  a  handful  of 
coarse  salt  has  been  dissolved. 

The  room  in  which  children  are  bathed  should  be  warmed  to  a 
temperature  of  72°  to  75°  F.  in  order  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  a 
chill  after  leaving  the  water. 

Soap  should  be  pure  and  mikh  It  should  lather  freely  but  should 
be  completely  removed  after  using.  The  lack  of  thorough  rinsing 
and  drying  is  responsible  for  much  irritation  of  the  skin. 

A  child  needs  a  small  wash  rag  and  one  so  soft  and  loosely  woven 
that  he  can  easily  squeeze  the  water  out  of  it.  He  should  have  his 
own  towels  and  wash  rags  and  be  taught  to  hang  them  up  to  dry 
after  using. 

Old  knitted  underwear  and  old  sleazy  turkish  towels  cut  into  tidy 
pieces  make  excellent  wash  rags.  Good  rags,  are  also  made  from 
white  mosquito  net  folded  several  times  and  stitched  together,  mak- 
ing squares  6  or  8  inches  each  way.  They  must  be  washed  and  boiled 
to  remove  the  dressing.  Discarded  net  or  thin  lace  curtains  also  make 
very  serviceable  cloths. 

Children  should  be  taught  the  great  importance  of  clean  hands. 
Many  disease  germs  are  undoubtedly  conveyed  to  the  nose  and  the 
mouth  by  the  hands,  and  to  prevent  this  the  hands  should  be  washed 
immediateh^  after  each  visit  to  the  toilet,  before  eating,  and  before 
haffflling  foodstutYs  of  any  kind,  and  particularly  after  using  the 
handkerchief.  Because  clean  hands  are  so  important  it  should  be 
made  easy  to  keep  them  clean  by  having  basins,  towels,  clothes 
brushes,  and  water  easy  of  access.  The  table  or  washstand  should 
be  low  enough  so  that  a  child  can  wash  his  hands  without  wetting  his 
clothing.  A  box  or  stool  under  the  washstand  will  save  a  great 'deal 
of  trouble. 

Personal  cleanliness  involves  also  care  of  the  special  organs,  such  as 
the  eyes,  teeth,  nose,  and  ears.     (See  pp.  55  to  60  for  directions.) 

CARE  OF  THE  HAIR. 

The  scalp  should  have  the  same  care  that  the  rest  of  the  skin 
requires.  It  should  be  washed  sufficiently  often  to  keep  it  clean  and 
active,  but  not  often  enough  to  remove  all  the  natural  oil.  While 
the  child  has  short  hair  the  head  may  be  washed  once  or  twice  a 
week  if  necessary. 


THE   PKESCHOOL  AGE.  55 

To  shampoo  the  hair^  dissolve  a  piece  of  plain,  mild  soap  in  hot 
water  and  strain.  When  the  solution  has  cooled  to  a  jelly  rub  it  well 
into  the  scalp,  using  great  care  not  to  scratch  the  skin  with  the  finger 
nails.  Then,  with  the  child's  forehead  resting  on  a  folded  towel  on 
the  edge  of  the  washstand,  repeat  the  process  for  the  back  and  sides 
of  the  head.  After  the  soapy  application  has  been  thoroughly  rubbed 
into  every  part  of  the  scalp,  rinsing  water  should  be  poured  over  it 
from  a  pitcher,  taking  care  to  have  the  first  water  just  comfortably 
warm  and  each  successive  rinsing  somewhat  cooler,  until  the  last  one 
is  quite  cold.  In  warm  weather  the  hair  may  be  dried  out  of  doors 
in  the  wind  and  sun,  although  the  hot  sunlight  should  not  fall 
directly  on  the  head  for  any  length  of  time.  If  the  weather  is  cold, 
cloudy,  or  stormy,  the  hair  should  be  rubbed  nearly  dry  with  warm 
towels  and  allowed  to  hang  loose  for  a  time.  Care  should  always  bo 
taken  to  dry  the  scalp  completely.  Combs  and  brushes  should  be 
washed  very  often,  and  dried,  whenever  possible,  in  the  open  air  and 
sunshine. 

The  hair  is  so  important  to  the  beauty  and  comfort  of  the  adult 
that  the  mother  who  takes  the  pains  necessary  to  keep  her  child's 
scalp  healthy  will  be  well  rewarded  in  later  years  for  her  trouble. 

Little  girls  may  wear  the  hair  short  until  they  are  at  least  10  years 
old,  to  their  great  comfort  and  advantage.  Curly  hair  should  not 
be  allowed  to  become  a  source  of  suifering  to  a  child,  through  the 
mother's  desire  to  keep  it  nicely  dressed.  A  thin  mobcap  may  be 
worn  during  outdoor  play  to  keep  long  or  curly  hair  in  shape. 

CARE  OF  THE  EYES.' 

The  care  of  the  child's  eves  should  begin  at  the  moment  of  birth 
and  continue  throughout  childhood. 

Healthy  and  normal  eyesight  is  a  priceless  •  possession  and  no 
trouble  is  too  great  to  secure  it,  nor  is  carelessness  anywhere  more 
inexcusable  than  where  the  sight  is  involved.  Many  eye  faults  may 
be  prevented  or  corrected  by  early  care;  and  a  child  showing  any 
tendency  to  abnormalities,  such  as  cross-ej^e,  should  be  promptly 
placed  in  charge  of  a  specialist  in  the  care  of  the  eyes.- 

The  child  who  persistently  holds  his  book  or  his  work  too  close  to 
his  eyes — that  is,  nearer  than  14  inches — should  be  taken  to  the 
doctor  for  examination.  Many  a  child  who  is  seemingly  slow  or 
stupid  about  his  school  work  may  be  suffering  from  nearsightedness 
or  farsightedness,  and  when  these  troubles  are  corrected  by  the 
proper  glasses  will  show  prompt  improvement  in  his  work. 

Children  need  to  be  watched  lest  they  harm  their  eyes  in  various 
ways,  such  as  reading  without  sufficient  light,  by  an  unsteady  or 

1  See  Prenatal  Care,  p.  30,  and  Infant  Care,  p.  30,  for  directions  a?  to  the  care  of  the 
baliy's   eyes. 

2  See  footnote,  p.  75. 


56  CHILD  CAKE. 

badly  adjusted  light,  or  using  the  eyes  too  long  at  a  time  on  the  same 
work.  They  should  be  furnished  with  tables  of  a  height  suitable  to 
accommodate  the  eyes  at  work  without  requiring  stooping  or  other 
posture  involving  strain.  They  should  not  read  facing  the  light,  nor 
should  the  light  be  reflected  from  a  shiny  surface;  polished  tables 
used  for  reading,  studying,  or  other  close  work  should  be  covered 
with  some  dull-surfaced  material,  like  green  felt,  which  does  not 
reflect  the  light. 

It  is  wise  to  teach  a  child  to  raise  the  eyes  and  look  out  of  the 
windows  for  a  few  moments  at  frequent  intervals  during  reading 
or  close  work,  resting  the  muscles  that  have  been  focusing  the  ejQ 
for  short  distance.  Teach  him  also  to  look  frequently  into  space 
over  wide  stretches  of  country,  over  the  water,  or  up  to  the  sky, 
always  taking  care  to  avoid  gazing  directly  at  the  sun.  One  of  the 
great  advantages  of  nature  study  and  out-of-door  life  is  that  the 
eyes  are  there  trained  to  accommodate  for  considerable  distances  and 
to  be  quick  and  sure  in  observation. 

Children  who  must  often  face  a  glare  of  light  reflected  from  snow 
or  ice  should  be  provided  with  slightly  colored  glasses.  Brown  and 
yellow  are  preferable  to  other  colors. 

The  eyes  are  often  sensitive  after  illness,  particularly  after  measles 
and  scarlet  fever,  and  the  mother  must  take  care  that  they  are  not 
used  too  soon  or  too  long  at  a  time.  Care  at  such  times,  even  at  the 
cost  of  some  trouble  in  providing  entertainment  which  avoids  over- 
use of  the  eyes,  should  not  be  weighed  against  the  harm  that  may 
result  from  overstrain. 

The  child  should  not  be  allowed  to  form  the  haoit  of  rubbing  the 
eyes.  A  teaspoonful  of  boric  acid  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water  is  an 
excellent  eyewash,  and  a  child  who  persistently  rubs  his  eyes  may 
need  to  have  them  washed  every  day.  Such  treatment  will  doubtless 
do  much  to  prevent  styes  and  crusts  on  the  edges  of  the  lids,  to  allay 
inflammation,  and  often  to  avert  more  serious  trouble.  Use  bits  of 
absorbent  cotton  for  cleaning  the  eyes — a  fresh  piece  for  each  eye — 
and  destroy  them  immediately. 

CARE  OF  THE  TEETH.^ 

The  age  period  covered  by  the  present  bulletin — ^namely,  from  the 
end  of  the  second  year  to  the  beginning  of  the  sixth — is  of  great  im- 
portance in  the  life  history  of  the  teeth.  By  the  end  of  the  second 
year  the  baby  should  have  his  20  milk  teeth  complete  and  they  should 
serve  him  until  the  sixth  or  seventh  year,  when  the  first  tooth  of  the 
permanent  set  will  appear.  Therefore  the  care  of  the  first  teeth  is 
a  matter  of  great  importance  to  the  child's  health. 

*  See  Prenatal  Care,  p.  14,  and  Infant  Care,  p.  52. 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  57 

The  examination  of  many  thousands  of  school  children  in  this  and 
other  countries  shows  that  nearly  all  have  dental  defects.  These 
include  decayed  teeth,  of  which  it  is  said  that  the  average  school 
child  has  from  three  to  five ;  protruding  teeth ;  irregular  and  crowded 
teeth;  malformation  of  the  teeth  and  gmns;  and  general  uncleanliness 
and  unsightliness.  The  result  of  these  defects  is  immeasurable,  the 
most  inmiediate  being  the  loss  of  some  part  of  the  power  to  chew. 
Tlie  human  body  is  built  up  by  the  food  materials  which  it  is  able  to 
digest,  absorb,  and  incorporate  into  its  tissues.  The  first  process  which 
the  food  undergoes  in  digestion  is  the  cutting  and  grinding  which  is 
given  it  by  the  teeth ;  by  this  process  the  food  is  so  subdivided  that  it 
is  readily  swallowed  and  more  easily  and  completely  mixed  with  the 
various  digestive  juices,  the  first  of  which  is  the  saliva  of  the  mouth. 
If  the  teeth  are  too  few,  or  if  they  are  broken,  decaj'ed,  or  otherwise 
unfit  for  doing  the  work  of  chewing,  or  if  they  are  so  irregular  that 
the  grinding  surfaces  do  not  meet  properly,  some  of  the  food  will 
not  be  properly  cut  and  other  digestive  organs  will  have  to  do  the 
neglected  work  of  the  mouth.  Digestion  may  therefore  require  a 
somewhat  longer  time  or  some  of  the  food  may  fail  to  be  completely 
digested.  Children  who  have  lost  their  teeth  can  not  bite  and  chew 
anything  but  the  softest  foods,  and  are  likely  to  limit  their  diet  un- 
duly, and  such  dietary  deficiencies  may  have  a  serious  effect  upon  the 
whole  life  of  the  child. 

It  is  believed  that  the  reflex  disturbances  due  to  the  pain  of  aching 
teeth  or  sore  giims  cause  serious  nervous  trouble. 

Many  forms  of  illness  result  from  the  presence  among  the  roots 
of  decaying  teeth  of  tiny  pus  pockets  which  continually  discharge 
their  contents  into  the  blood  stream.  Furthe:^more  there  is  abundant 
evidence  to  -show  that  the  germs  of  disease,  including  those  of  tuber- 
culosis and  diphtheria,  find  lodgment  in  dental  cavities  and  in  irregu- 
larities in  the  teeth,  and  the  neglect  of  proper  cleanliness  leads  to  the 
possibility  of  attacks  of  such  illnesses. 

The  medical  examination  of  children  with  bad  teeth  shows  also 
that  they  are  often  affected  with  adenoids,  are  below  the  average 
in  stature,  and  are  ver}'  apt  to  be  backward  in  school. 

The  care  of  the  teeth  is  thus  not  merely  a  matter  of  beauty  but  is 
of  profound  importance  in  the  whole  existence  of  the  child,  and  to 
neglect  the  teeth  and  allow  bad  conditions  to  develop  may  mean  that 
he  will  carry  a  needless  burden  of  ill  health  throughout  his  life. 

Children  should  be  taken  regularly  to  a  good  dentist  once  or  twice 
a  year  after  the  first  set  of  teeth  is  complete.  If  cavities  appear, 
the}^  should  be  filled  with  soft  temporarj^  fillings  and  each  tooth 
should  be  saved  as  long  as  possible.  If  some  of  the  temporary  teeth 
are  lost  too  early,  the  remaining  teeth  will  be  apt  to  crowd  forward 


58  CHILD   CARE. 

into  the  space  thus  left  vacant,  and  when  the  later  teeth  come 
they  will  be  pushed  out  of  their  regular  places  and  the  natural  line 
destroyed.  The  first  molars  especially  should  be  preserved,  because 
the}'^  furnish  the  grinding  surfaces  necessary  to  proper  chewing  of 
food.  If  they  fall  out  too  soon,  the  child  is  hardly  able  to  chew  any- 
thing hard  or  tough  and  is  likely  to  swallow  such  food  in  chunks. 

DIET  AND   THE  TEETH. 

In  order  to  have  strong  and  healthy  teeth  the  child's  food  must 
be  carefully  chosen  with  that  end  in  view.  Great  emphasis  has 
already  been  laid  upon  the  necessity  of  a  well-chosen  diet  of  mixed 
foods,  in  order  that  the  child  may  be  furnished  with  all  the  materials 
of  growth.  From  such  a  diet  the  healthy  child  should  be  able  to  build 
up  sound  teeth;  but  in  addition  the  diet  has  other  important  effects 
upon  the  teeth.  The  jaws  and  teeth  require  constant  exercise  for 
proper  growth  and  development;  consequently  every  day  the  child 
should  have  some  hard  food  suitable  to  his  age .  and  development 
which  can  not  be  swallowed  without  chewing,  such  as  toast,  crusts, 
and  hard  crackers,  and  as  he  grows  older  broiled,  boiled,  or  roasted 
meat.  The  child  should  be  taught  to  eat  his  food  without  much 
drinking,  so  that  he  will  be  compelled  to  chew  it  well  in  order  to 
sv\^allow  it  comfortably.  One  practical  way  to  accomplish  this  is  to 
keep  the  glass  of  milk  or  water  out  of  sight  until  the  solid  food  has 
been  eaten. 

Dental  decay  results  from  the  acids  produced  by  the  fermentation 
of  food  particles  remaining  in  the  mouth  after  eating.  Soft,  sweet, 
sticky,  and  pasty  foods  fill  the  recesses  between  the  teeth  or  any 
irregularities,  where  they  readily  ferment.  For  this  reason  when 
foods  rich  in  starches  and  sugars  have  been  eaten  alone  or  at  the 
close  of  a  meal  it  is  most  important  to  scour  the  teeth  and  rinse  the 
mouth  with  especial  care.  The  daily  use  of  some  hard  foods  such 
as  raw  fruits  like  apples  or  pineapples,  celery,  toast,  and  other  whole- 
some but  resistant  foods  aids  in  keeping  the  teeth  and  mouth  clean. 

CLEANING  THE  TEETH. 

The  baby  should  be  taught  the  use  of  the  tooth  brush  very  early; 
but  throughout  the  whole  period  of  childhood  the  mother  will  have 
to  oversee  the  process,  for  very  few  children  can  be  trusted  to 
do  it  thoroughly.  Ideally,  the  teeth  should  be  brushed  after  each 
meal,  and  especiall}'  at  bedtime,  because  fermentation  in  the 
mouth  proceeds  rapidly  at  night.  A  narrow  brush,  with  a  slightly 
curved  handle,  having  only  two  or  three  rows  of  bristles  set  in  sepa- 
rate tufts  will  make  the  process  of  cleaning  easier.  Any  of  the 
simple  tooth  powders  may  be  used.  Dry  precipitated  chalk  answers 
every  purpose,  if  it  has  been  very  finely  powdered. 


THE    PBESCHOOL    AGE.  59 

The  child  should  be  taught  to  brush  the  teeth  downward  or  up- 
ward on  the  outer  surface,  rather  than  crosswise.  When  the  teeth 
are  brushed  across  the  surface  the  tendency  is  to  push  whatever  is 
on  them  into  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  teeth  or  under  the  edges 
of  the  gums.  The  inner  surfaces  of  the  teeth  should  also  be  brushed 
up  itnd  down,  and  the  tops,  which  are  the  grinding  surfaces,  should 
be  brushed  in  all  directions;  after  the  scrubbing  is  finished  the' 
mouth  should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  with  warm  water.  Some  such 
regular  and  thorough  method  should  be  insisted  upon  in  order  to 
establish  the  permanent  habit.  When  there  are  several  children  in. 
a  family  they  may  be  amused  and  interested  by  a  toothbrush  drill.^ 

PERMANENT  TEETH. 

The  permanent  teeth  begin  to  erupt  about  the  sixth  year  and 
about  one  year  before  the  temporary  teeth  begin  to  fall  out.  The 
first  of  the  permanent  teeth  to  make  its  appearance  is  the  sixth-year 
molar,  which  comes  in  just  behind  the  last  molar  of  the  temporary 
set.  Mothers  sometimes  tliink  because  it  does  not  push  out  another 
tooth  that  this  is  a  temporary  tooth,  and  on  this  account  neglect 
it  until  in  many  cases  it  can  not  be  saved.  As  it  is  with  these 
teeth  that  most  of  the  hard  chewing  must  be  done  throughout  life, 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  health  of  the  child  that  they 
should  be  most  carefully  preserved. 

r)iA«|^4^  III. 

FIBST    OR    "  MILK  "    TEETH.  PERMANENT  TEETH. 

1.  Contra!  incisors,  5  to  8  months  of  age. 

2.  Lateral  incisors,  7  to  10  months  of  age. 

3.  First  molars,  12  to  16  months  after  birth, 

4.  Cuspids    ("eye"   and    '^stomach"    teeth), 

14  to  20  months  of  age. 

5.  Spoond  molars,  20  to  32  months  of  age. 


PEKilAXENT    TEETH, 


i^- 


i:r\  m     ■  „j 


6.  First  molars,  5  to  7  years  of  age. 

1.  Central  incisors,  6|  to  8  years. 

2.  Lateral  incisors,  7  to  9  years  of  age. 

4.  First  bicuspids,  9  to  11  years  of  age. 

5.  Second  bicuspids,  10  to  12  years  of  age. 

3.  Cuspids,  11  to  14  years  of  age. 

7.  Second  molars,  llj  to  13  years. 

8.  Third    molars,    16    to    21    years    or    later. 

Possibly  never.  MILK  TEETH. 

There  are  32  teeth  in  the  permanent  set,  but  this  includes  the 
four  wisdoin  teeth,  which  may  not  appear  until  the  twentieth  year, 
or  in  some  cases  not  at  all. 

Diagram  III  ^  illustrates  the  positions  of  the  teeth  and  gives  their 
names  and  the  approximate  times  of  their  appearance. 


1  Drill  approved  for  use  in  New  York  City  pubUc  schools  is  published  by  S.   S.   White 
Dental  Manufacturing  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

s  Courtesy  of  Lea  &  Febiger,  publishers,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


60  CHILD  CAEE. 

CARE  OF  THE  EARS. 

Health}'^  ears  require  little  or  no  care  beyond  keeping  the  external 
portion  clean.  No  hard  article  of  any  sort  should  be  introduced 
into  the  ear.  It  is  better  not  to  attempt  to  remove  accumulations  of 
"wax,  since  nature  usually  takes  care  of  any  superfluity  and  efforts  at 
removal  may  do  harm. 

Discharging  ears,  pain  or  swelling  in  or  near  the  ears,  and  deafness 
are  symptoms  of  trouble  which  need  prompt  medical  attention. 
Many  school  children  suffer  from  impairment  of  hearing  which 
greatly  retards  their  progress  and  makes  them  seem  dull  and  stupid. 
Deafness  often  occurs  because  ear  troubles  were  not  properly  treated. 
It  is  comparatively  easy  to  cure  certain  conditions  in  the  ear  at  the 
start  which,  if  allowed  to  go  on  without  treatment,  may  cause  peima- 
nent  impairment  of  the  hearing. 

Children  sometimes  push  beads  or  other  objects  into  the  ears.  As 
a  rule  these  will  slip  out  if  the  outer  ear  is  pulled  downward  and 
back  with  the  head  inclined.  Injury  often  results  from  attempts  to 
remove  a  foreign  body.  If  an  object  which  has  been  introduced  into 
the  ear  can  not  be  easily  removed  with  the  fingers  the  child  should 
be  taken  to  a  physician. 

CARE  OF  THE  MOUTH,  THROAT,  AND  NOSE. 

It  is  now  believed  that  disease  germs  enter  the  body  chiefly  by  way 
of  the  mouth,  throat,  and  nose,  and  since  most  of  the  illnesses  of 
childhood  are  due  to  infections  it  is  of  great  importance  to  teach 
children  to  keep  these  parts  of  the  body  scrupulously  clean. 

The  care  of  the  mouth  has  been  described  under  "  Teeth,"  page  56. 

The  nostrils  should  be  cleaned  every  morning,  by  thorough  blow- 
ing and  wiping,  in  order  to  remove  any  accumulations  from  the  air 
passages,  using  soft  old  rags  or  absorbent  cotton  for  this  purpose.  It 
is  wise  to  keep  a  supply  of  soft  paper  handkerchiefs  or  napkins  on 
hand  which  the  children  may  use  as  freely  as  necessary.  These 
should  be  burned  after  using.  A  nasal  douche  should  not  be  used 
except  on  the  advice  of  a  competent  physician. 

If  the  nasal  passages  become  clogged  a  few  drops  of  mineral  oil 
or  liquid  petrolatum  may  be  introduced  into  each  nostril  with  a 
medicine  dropper  when  the  child  is  ready  for  bed.  This  treatment 
will  tend  to  relieve  the  obstruction  and  help  to  insure  quiet  sleep. 

A  child  should  be  taught  to  gargle  the  throat,  first  using  clear 
warm  w^ater.  In  addition  the  child  who  is  trained  in  the  daily  habit 
of  rinsing  the  mouth  and  throat,  at  least  before  going  to  bed,  will 
be  protected  to  some  extent  against  the  lodgment  of  disease  germs  in 
those  parts.  It  will  be  much  easier  to  treat  a  sore  throat  with  medi- 
cated gargle,  should  that  become  necessary,  if  a  child  is  already 
accustomed  to  gargling. 


THE  PRESCHOOL  AGE.  61 

An  important  part  of  the  care  of  the  mouth,  throat,  and  nose  is 
the  detection  and  treatment  of  such  troubles  as  decayed  teeth  (al- 
ready discussed),  common  infectious  colds,  and  enlarged  adenoids 
and  tonsils. 

ADENOIDS    ^ND  TONSILS. 

The  overgrowth  of  the  adenoid  tissues  in  the  top  of  the  throat 
behind  the  nose  which  partially  closes  the  nasal  air  passages  is  often 
the  cause  of  serious  harm  to  a  growing  child.  Children  who  are 
thus  affected  breathe  with  their  mouths  open;  and,  while  they  sleep, 
snore  and  toss  restlessly  about  trying  to  find  a  position  in  which  they 
can  breathe  comfortably.  Thoj  are  often  slightly  deaf  and  seem  dull 
and  inattentive.  Children  suffering  from  adenoids  can  not  blow  the 
nose  and  often  speak  in  a  nasal  voice.  They  are  subject  to  repeated 
colds  in  the  head  and  persistent  catarrh,  often  leading  to  bronchitis. 
Headaches  and  various  nervous  troubles  accompany  adenoids,  and  at- 
tacks of  acute  illness,  such  as  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  whooping 
cough,  and  measles  are  apt  to  be  more  severe  if  a  child  has  adenoids. 
When  these  symptoms  are  noted  the  child  should  be  examined  by  a 
pliysician.  The  operation  for  the  removal  of  adenoids  and  tonsils  is 
comparatively  simple  in  sldllful  hands  and  is  then  attended  by  little 
danger.  Most  children  recover  at  once  and  begin  very  soon  to  show 
improvement.  They  breathe  easily  and  sleep  quietly.  The  mouth 
j-emains  closed,  color  improves,  the  listlessness  disappears,  the  weight 
begins  to  increase,  and  in  many  cases  a  great  change  is  made  in  the 
child's  whole  appearance  in  a  few  months.  The  beneficial  results  are 
less  apparent  in  older  children,  when  the  habits  induced  by  continued 
efforts  to  work  against  this  handicap  are  more  firmly  fixed. 

Enl-arged  tonsils  often  accompany  adenoids  and  may  be  removed 
at  the  same  operation  if  they  are  troublesome.  If  the  tonsils  are 
swollen  and  rspeatedl}^  inflamed  pockets  of  pus  form  in  them  which 
discharge  their  contents  into  the  blood  stream  and  lead  to  illness. 
It  is  proved  that  rheumatism  and  certain  heart  troubles  may  result 
from  this  cause.  Sore  or  swollen  tonsils  should  be  brought  to  the 
doctor's  attention  and  he  will  decide  whether  they  need  to  be 
removed. 

Mouth  breathing  may  be  due  to  other  conditions  than  the  presence 
of  overgrown  adenoid  tissues,  and  this  symptom  always  requires 
attention. 

A  "cold  "  is  one  of  the  most  common  of  the  infectious  diseases  and 
is  the  direct  cause  of  much  suffering  and  the  indirect  cause,  in  many 
cases,  of  more  serious  diseases.  Children  should  be  kept  away  from 
people  suffering  from  colds  and  from  those  who  are  coughing  and 
sneezing.     It  is  well  known  that  a  cold  often  runs  through  a  whole 


62  CHILD  CARE. 

family  because  no  precaution  was  taken  to  protect  the  well  members. 
Children  with  colds  should  be  treated  as  ill. 

CARE  OF  THE  FEET. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  necessity  of  wearing  prop- 
erly fitting  shoes  and  to  the  deformities  which  may  result  from  im- 
proper shoes.^  The  soles  of  children's  shoes  should  have  straight 
inside  lines  and  should  be  everywhere  as  wide  and  long  as  the  foot 
while  standing.  Both  sole  and  upper  should  be  flexible  enough  to 
permit  the  foot  to  bend  easily  for  walking.  The  heel  should  be  low 
and  broad.  A  shoe  sliould  never  be  laced  or  buttoned  so  tight  that 
marks  show  on  the  ankles. 

TRAINING  THE  FEET, 

From  the  first  a  child  should  be  taught  to  walk  with  the  toes 
straight  ahead,  toeing  neither  out  nor  in.  Turning  the  toes  out  in 
walking  throws  the  weight  on  the  inner  side  of  the  foot  and  tends 
to  produce  the  condition  laiown  as  "  flat  foot." 

The  names  "  flat "  foot,  "  weak "  foot,  "  pronated  "  foot,  and 
"  broken  arches  "  are  given  to  conditions  in  which  the  foot  is  rolled 
outward  and  the  ankle  is  bent  inward.  The  foot  is  not  really  flat- 
tened nor  have  the  arches  actually  broken  down,  but  the  muscles  of 
the  leg  have  been  so  strained  that  they  are  no  longer  able  to  hold 
the  foot  in  an  upright  position. 

Flat  foot  is  quite  common  in  children.  Those  so  afflicted  turn  the 
toes  out  and  walk  with  a  stiff  gait.  The  shoe  T/ill  have  the  upper 
bulging  inward  over  the  heel  and  instep;  the  front  inner  corner  of 
the  heel  and  the  inner  portion  of  the  sole  will  be  worn  off.  Such 
children  tire  easily  and  complain  of  pain  in  their  feet,  legs,  and  back 
and  often  object  to  walldng  any  distance. 

Since  the  shoe  is  usually  at  fault  in  these  troubles  the  first  step  in 
the  cure  must  be  to  have  the  right  sort  of  shoes  properly  fitted  (see 
p.  35).  In  addition  to  the  right  kind  of  shoes  the  foot  must  have 
strengthening  exercise — walking,  dancing,  standing  on  tiptoe,  and 
the  like.  An  essential  part  of  this  treatment  is  to  improve  the 
child's  health  and  general  condition  in  every  way  by  proper  food, 
exercise,  and  other  hygienic  measures. 

In  bad  cases  of  "  flat  "  foot  it  may  be  necessary  to  use,  temporarily, 
heels  raised  somewhat  on  the  inner  side,  braces,  or  supports,  while 
the  weak  muscles  are  growing  strong;  but,  where  such  care  is  needed, 
the  case  should  be  in  the  hands  of  an  orthopedic  surgeon  for  proper 
treatment. 

1  See  p.  34. 


THE   PEESCKOOL  AGE.  63 

CARE  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

The  first  essential  in  the  care  of  the  bowels  is  to  establish  the 
liabit  of  regular  evacuation.  This  should  have  been  accomplished  in. 
infancy,  but  no  child  can  be  trusted  to  carry  it  on  without  oversight. 
He  should  be  taught  to  go  to  the  closet  at  the  first  desire  and  to  go 
each  day  at  the  same  time.  The  most  natural  time  is  soon  after 
breakfast.  It  is  of  little  use  to  try  to  break  up  a  persistent  case  of 
constipation  without  the  assistance  of  this  regularity,  but  to  ac- 
complish this  the  mother  mus*t  be  constantly  on  guard.  Constipa- 
tion may  be  due  to  faults  of  diet,  to  lack  of  muscular  tone,  or  in  a 
few  cases  to  some  congenital  defect.  Persistent  constipation  should 
be  brought  to  the  attention  of  a  physician. 

DIET  IN   CONSTIPATION.^ 

Constipation  may  be  due  to  too  much  starchy  food  or  to  an  over- 
abundance of  milk  or  to  the  lack  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  Consti- 
pated children  should  have  plentj'^  of  the  coarser  cereals,  well  cooked, 
and  graham  or  bran  bread  and  biscuit.-  Milk  should  be  greatly  re- 
duced in  quantity  or  given  up  altogether  for  the  time  being;  rice 
should  be  omitted.  Fresh  fruits  should  form  a  large  part  of  the 
daily  ration,  especiall}^  oranges,  grapes,  apples,  pears,  peaches,  and 
dried  fruits,  like  figs  and  prunes.  It  is  well  to  give  some  kind  of 
fruit  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  and  tjie  child  should  have  an 
abundance  of  drinking  water,  especially  just  before  the  morning 
meal  and  at  bedtime.  Vegetables  should  form  a  considerable  part 
of  the  day's  meals,  especially  the  fresh  green  vegetables — asparagus, 
spinach,  peas,  squash,  carrots,  string  beans,  and  the  like. 

Vigorous  out-of-door  exercise — running,  jumping,  climbing,  skat- 
ing, and  bicycling — will  help  to  tone  up  the  abdominal  muscles  and 
improve  the  sluggishness  of  the  bowels. 

Massage  of  the  lower  abdomen  may  be  giT^en  gently  just  after  the 
child  goes  to  bed  and  before  he  rises  in  the  morning. 

Suppositories,  or  a  cone  of  oiled  paper,  may  be  used  with  young 
children  occasionally,  merely  to  supply  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
rectum  the  irritation  needed  to  start  a  movement  and  to  help  induce 
a  regular  habit. 

Injections  of  warm  soapy  water,  glycerin  and  water,  or  sweet  oil 
may  be  necessary  in  rare  instances  to  induce  an  immediate  movement 
or  to  break  up  very  dry  stools,  but  the  constant  use  of  anj^  form  of 
mechanical  aid  to  bowel  movement  is  most  unwise,  as  it  tends  to 

1  Soe  Infant  Care,  p.  65. 

-  Bran  bread:  One  cup  of  cooking  molasses,  *1  teaspoonful  of  soda,  1  small  teaspoonful 
of  salt,  1  pint  of  sour  milk  or  buttermilk,  1  quart  of  bran,  and  1  pint  of  flour.  Stir 
well  and  bake  for  an  hour  in  a  slow  oven.  It  may  be  baked  in  a  loaf  or  in  gem  pans,  as 
preferred. 


64  CHILD  CARE. 

reduce  the  power  of  the  natural  effort.    Medicines  should  rarely  be 
given,  and  as  far  as  possible  only  under  medical  direction. 

HOW  TO  KEEP  CHILDREN  WELL. 

As  already  explained,  a  child  who  is  to  grow  and  develop  normally 
requires  plenty  of  good  food,  sleep,  exercise,  and  out-of-door  life. 
In  addition,  special  care  must  be  devoted  to  the  prevention  of  certain 
weaknesses  and  defects  by  attention  to  them  in  the  earliest  stages.  A 
child  must  also  be  guarded  as  far  as  possible  against  attacks  of  illness. 
Every  mother  should  recognize  the  fact  that  any  illness,  however  brief 
and  slight,  is  a  hindrance  to  growth,  and  that  every  hour  spent  by 
the  child  in  pain  or  disturbance  m.eans  some  loss  to  him  and  may 
mean  permanent  impairment  of  some  organ  or  function  of  the  body. 
It  is  now  known  that  many  serious  and  chronic  illnesses  of  adult 
life  have  their  beginnings  in  some  disease  of  childhood  like  measles, 
whooping  cough,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  or  the  serious  disturbances 
of  digestion. 

An  important  measure  which  the  intelligent  mother  may  take  in 
the  prevention  of  other  forms  of  illness,  as  well  as  of  wealaiesses  and 
defects,  is  to  have  the  child  thoroughly  examined  by  a  physician  at 
regular  intervals.  After  a  child  is  ill  or  some  defect  or  disability  has 
grown  up,  the  physician  will  do  all  he  can  to  relieve  the  condition,  but 
his  service  would  have  been  infinitely  greater  to  the  family  if  he 
*  could  have  had  the  opportunity  to  foresee  and  prevent  the  bad  result. 
This  is  being  done  for  babies  in  hundreds  of  infant- welfare  stations 
in  many  cities.  Mothers  bring  their  babies  to  these  stations  for 
regular  weighing  and  examination  and  are  advised  by  the  nurses 
and  physicians  as  to  the  proper  food  and  care  necessary  to  keep  the 
baby  well  and  make  him  thrive. 

COMMON  DISEASES  OF  CHILDHOOD. 

The  principal  diseases  which  afflict  children  under  6  years  of  age 
fall  into  four  general  classes,  namely,  prenatal,  gastric  and  intestinal, 
respiratory,  and  infectious. 

Many  young  babies  lose  their  lives  or  are  seriously  weakened  by 
the  unfavorable  conditions  surrounding  the  mother  before  the  baby 
is  born  or  by  lack  of  proper  care  at  childbirth.^ 

A  large  number  of  infant  deaths  are  caused  by  diarrheal  diseases 
due  very  largely  to  bad  feeding.  A  great  many  babies'  lives  might 
be  saved  every  year  solelj'^  by  the  use  of  proper  food  and  suitable 
methods  of  feeding.^ 

1  The  first  bulletin  of  this  series,  Prenatal  Care,  gives  simple  directions  for  the  care 
of  prospective  mothers,  and  may  be  had  upon  application  to  the  Children's  Bureau,  U.  S. 
Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C.    • 

-  Infant  Care,  the  second  bulletin  in  this  series,  gives  directions  for  the  care  and  feed- 
ing of  the  baby  up  to  the  end  of  the  second  year  (pp.  41-50),  and  may  be  had  upon  ap- 
plication to  the  Children's  Bureau,  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  65 

The  third  important  cause  of  death  among  young  children  is  found 
in  the  respiratory  diseases  such  as  bronchitis  and  pneumonia,  and 
the  fourth  in  communicable  diseases  such  as  measles,  whooping 
cough,  and  scarlet  fever.  In  general,  the  rule  is  that  the  younger 
the  child  the  more  serious  will  be  the  effect  of  these  diseases. 

No  more  harmful  'doctrine  was  ever  held  by  mothers  than  that  all 
children  must  have  the  common  infectious  diseases,  and  therefore 
may  as  well  be  deliberately  exposed  to  them  in  order  to  have  them 
over  while  young.  It  will  never  be  known  how  many  lives  have  been 
sacrificed  to  this  idea  nor  how  many  children  have  been  permanently 
weakened  as  a  result. 

For  such  reasons  it  should  be  the  aim  of  every  mother  to  prevent 
every  j)ossible  hour  of  illness  among  her  children. 

INFECTIOUS  DISEASES. 

Each  of  these  diseases  is  caused  by  taking  into  the  body  micro- 
scopic living  plants  or  animals  called  germs  and  in  710  other  way. 
Each  disease  has  its  own  particular  germ  which  infects  the  body  and 
gi\es  rise  to  that  kind  of  illness  and  no  other.  It  is  by  the  communi- 
cation of  these  germs  from  the  sick  to  the  well  that  children  "  catch  " 
diseases  and  epidemics  are  caused.  To  prevent  the  spread  of  in- 
fectious diseases  it  is  necessary  to  keep  sick  and  ailing  children  by 
themselves  and  also  to  recognize  illness  in  its  early  stages,  because 
some  diseases  may  be  communicated  before  they  have  fully  developed. 
For  the  most  jjart  well  children  are  infected  by  direct  contact  with 
sick  ones  and  only  in  a  few  cases'by  indirect  means.  The  germs  of 
these  diseases  lodge  in  great  numbers  in  the  throat,  mouth,  and  nose 
of  the  patient  and  are  readily  spread  about  in  the  fine  spray  that 
flies  from  the  mouth  in  speaking  and  more  readily  in  coughing  and 
sneezing. 

When  children  play  together  there  is  abundant  opportunity  for 
the  passing  of  the  germs  of  infection  from  one  to  another  if  one 
happens  to  be  ill.  Children  must  be  taught  to  cover  the  mouth  when 
coughing  or  sneezing  and  to  keep  away  from  others  who  frequently 
cough  or  sneeze.  It  is  also  necessary  to  teach  a  child  not  to  put 
into  his  mouth  bubble  pipes,  pencils,  horns,  whistles,  or  similar 
toys  which  have  been  used  by  others,  nor  to  use  another's  handker- 
chief. He  should  also  be  taught  to  clean  the  nose  thoroughlj'-,  as 
part  of  the  daily  toilet,  and  also  to  scour  the  teeth,  rinse  the  mouth, 
and  gargle  the  throat.  These  preventive  measures  are  especially 
necessary  if  some  disease  is  present  in  the  neighborhood.  At  such 
times,  too,  it  is  most  important  to  be  quick  to  recognize  early  signs  of 
illness  and  to  isolate  the  child  until  the  symptoms  disappear  or  the 

79312°— IS— Bull.  aO^s— 5 


66  CSIIJ>  CASE. 

disBftsae  tderelops.  It  is  fsur  better  to  keep  a  child  by  himself  for  a 
day  or  tsro  than  to  ran  the  risk  of  spreading  disease  bv  neglect  of  rhis 
ccanpantivelT  simp'  ^"  :re  is  no  other  class  in  the  com- 

munitT  upon  wlK'n-  .y  for  the  eonirol  of  infectious 

diseases  lies  in  sseh  degree  as  upon  moihers — tbe  natural  guar- 
dians of  "  ^  ^-  —r  mother  is  responsible,  not  onlj  to  her  otth 
familr  I  er  familT  in  the  neighborhood,  for  taking 
cToy  kso^m  preeauiion  against  the  spread  of  illness:  not  until 
■ndiers  gaM^raHj  understand  and  accept  this  responsibility  shall  we 
kave  tiie  beginning  of  the  end  of  epidemics  of  disease. 

Use-  soeans  needed  for  stamping  out  infectious  diseases  are  chiedy 
the  caiefd  isc^iioii  of  the  sick  diild,  not  only  from  the  otber  chil- 
dren in  tbe  same  family  but  from  all  diildren.  until  the  nature  of  his 
iDnesB  is  determined:  and  if  this  proves  to  be  infectious,  to  continue 
the  isoiaOQii  as  long  as  may  be  required-  Meanwhile  the  apparently 
unaffected  Aildreii  diould  be  watched  with  great  care.  Certain  dis- 
eases, like  measles,  may  be  transmitted  eren  before  they  are  recog- 
fiized:  and  any  cMId  who  complains  of  being  tired,  who  couglis. 
^leezes.  or  loses  his  appetite,  is  open  to  suspicion  and  should  be  under 
earefd  sofpervision  as  long  as  any  evidence  of  illTief?s  persists. 

Amoog  tlie  more  frequent  of  the  serious  diseases  of  childhood  are 
meases,  whoc^ing  cough,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  syphilis,  tubercu- 
If^is.  Tnfantil**  paralysis,  and  the  diseases  of  the  respiratory  tract — 
sadi  as  brosKiiitis  and  pnetnnonia — ^which  often  complicate  other 
«fiqpaaBs-  As  several  of  th^je  diseases  have  been  briefly  described 
ia  &e  preceding  bolledn  of  tl4p  series.*  this  information  need 
not  be  Tcpeated  here^  TTie  United  States  Pablic  Health  Service 
p^dili^ies  Buicii  authoritative  material  oa  infectious  diseases  and 
wfH  send  these  poUications  free  to  any  one  asking  for  them.  A 
partial  Ifet  will  be  foond  <m  page  77:  and  mothers  are  urged  to 
provide  themselves  with  a  complete  set  of  these  publications,  which 
■«tQ  give  ffaem  exprat  information  and  advice  in  dealing  with  these 
difyaiFgK. 

COMMON  ACCIDENTS  OP  CHILDHOOD.* 

Every  child  is  liable  to  injure  hiuLself  seriously  in  the  course 
of  his  early  years  of  imrestrained  activity,  and  it  is  necessary  for 
mcHhers  to  lesni  the  best  way  of  meeting  such  emergencies  and  to 
^tcqmrt  the  tedanqae  of  first-aid  dressings. 

2  lr*rmi  Czre.    T-  £.  CUUrem'*  Baron  PaHlcalieB  Ko.  8. 

'DievAr  B««i   Iff-mknAnn.   M.   D^   VzirvnAtT   Ezt«asi«a    liiriMim,   CorreapoaOeaee- 
D«*atitBcaC  CMumMj  «(  Wfan— ■!■.  MaJlw.  Wis. 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  67 

WOUNDS. 

Whenever  the  flesh  is  broken  it  is  wise  to  apply  tincture  of  iodine 
as  soon  as  possible  to  the  break  if  the  wound  is  small  .and  then  to 
cleanse  the  part  with  clean  boiled  water.  Washing  out  the  part 
fji'.^t  with  hydrogen  peroxide  or  water  is  a  bad  plan,  for  germs 
from  the  surrounding  parts  are  likely  to  be  carried  into  the  depth 
of  the  wound  or  cut. 

In  large  cuts,  wounds,  or  burns  the  importance  of  keeping  the 
injury  clean  and  free  from  germs  is  even  more  urgent.  The  clothing 
should  be  cut  away  from  the  injured  part  and  the  wound  exposed 
to  the  air.  After  the  bleeding  is  controlled  by  means  of  pressure 
on  the  adjacent  blood  vessels  the  wound  may  be  covered  by  a  sterile 
dressing  or  left  exposed  to  the  air,  which  can  not  injure  it,  until  the 
dressings  are  prepared.  Such  an  injury  must  be  handled  as  little 
as  possible  until  the  hands  of  the  attendant  can  be  sterilized  by* 
scrubbing  them  with  hot  water,  soap,  and  a  scrubbing  brush  for 
five  minutes  and  then  soaking  them  several  minutes  in  an  antiseptic 
solution.  All  dishes  or  instruments  used  at  the  dressing  should  be 
thorough^  boiled  before  using.  If  a  sterile  gauze  dressing  or  com- 
press can  not  be  obtained,  gauze  or  cotton  cloth  to  be  used  in  covering 
the  wound  must  be  boiled  in  clean  water  before  being  applied.  The 
wound  then  should  be  cleansed  thoroughly  and  covered  with  a  dress- 
ing, which  has  been  sterilized  or  boiled  in  clean  water,  and  bandaged 
firmly.  In  case  of  a  burn  a  sterile  solution  of  bicarbonate  of  soda 
or  boric  acid  makes  a  comfortable  application.  An  antiseptic  dress- 
ing may  be  used  for  cuts  or  other  wounds,  but  if  care  has  been  taken 
not  to  infect  them  healing  will  follow  the  use  of  any  sterile  pro- 
tective dressing. 

The  injured  part  should  be  kept  at  rest  and  daily  dressing  should 
be  made  under  the  strict  aseptic  precautions  described  above. 

HEMORRHAGE  FROM  THE  NOSE. 

Nosebleed  is  a  common  and  usually  unimj)ortant  ailment,  but 
occasionally  the  amount  of  blood  lost  is  of  serious  moment.  Pres- 
sure at  the  root  of  the  nose,  or  under  the  lip  just  below  and  on  each 
side  of  the  nostrils  may  help  stop  the  hemorrhage.  The  nostril 
may  be  plugged  by  inserting  a  small  wad  of  cotton.  The  head 
should  be  kept  elevated  and  ice  may  be  applied  locally. 

In  serious  cases  packing  the  back  of  the  nose  may  have  to  be 
resorted  to  by  the  physician  if  the  bleeding  is  beyond  reach  from 
the  front. 


68  CHILD   CARE. 

BUMPS   AND    BRUISES. 

These  are  perhaps  the  commonest  injuries  which  young  children 
receive,  A  slight  bruise  ordinarily  requires  no  treatment  and  is 
forgotten  in  a  few  minutes,  although  the  discoloration  of  the  skin 
may  remain  for  some  time.  If  the  injury  is  more  severe,  cloths 
wrung  out  of  very  cold  or  very  hot  water,  or  cracked  ice  wrapped 
in  a  cloth,  may  be  applied  to  the  bruise.  Either  alcohol,  arnica,  or 
witch-hazel,  each  diluted  with  water,  may  be  used  upon  a  bruise. 

If  the  skin  is  broken,  it  should  be  treated  as  a  wound. 


APPENDIX. 
TABLE  OF  HEIGHTS  AND  WEIGHTS. 

In  order  that  the  mother  may  be  able  to  tell  whether  her  child  is  up 
to  the  average  child  of  the  same  age  and  sex  in  height,  weight,  and 
girths  the  following  table  is  giA^en.  Eonghly  speaking,  the  height 
and  weight  of  a  child  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  his  health,  and  for 
this  reason  growing  children  should  be  frequently  weighed  and  meas- 
ured. It  is  wise  to  keep  a  record  of  these  figures.^  The  follow- 
ing table  gives  average  figures  which  may  be  used  as  a  guide  to 
show  parents  the  condition  of  their  own  child. 

Table  of  heights  and  weights  of  children." 


Ago. 


Boys. 


Height, 
inches. 


Birth 

3  months 

6  months 

7iuonths 

8  months 

Omontlis 

10  months... 

11  months... 

12  months... 

13  months... 
H  months... 
15montl3S... 
IG  months... 
17  months... 
IS  months... 

19  months... 

20  months... 

21  months... 

22  months... 

23  months... 

24  months... 
2.)  months... 

26  months... 

27  months... 

28  months... 
29raonihs... 
SOmontlis... 

31  months... 

32  months... 


20.6 

23i 

26J 

27i 

27| 

28i 

28i 

29 

29? 

29i 

30} 

SOJ 

3l| 

3l| 

3ij 

32i 

321 

32i 

33} 

33f 

33J 

34 

34J 

3  (J 

35J 

351 

35? 

35* 

36' 


Weight, 
pounds.  6 


7.6 
13 
CIS 
clOJ 

cl9J 

C20I 

c20i 

c21t 

c2l| 

c22| 

C23 

c23| 

C24J 

24  i 

c24| 

<:2.5.V 

C25J 

e  2oJ 

<:261 

c27 

c27i 

271 

28} 

29 

29J 

29} 

29* 

30i 

30l 


Girls. 


Height, 
inches. 


20.5 


25J 
2Gi 
27" 
27S 
27J 
28? 

29| 
29* 

m 

30* 

30j 

3U 

31* 

32 

32} 

321 

321 

33? 

33! 

33i 

331 

34f 

3}  J 

35J 
351 


Weight, 
pounds.  6 


7.16 


'16! 

cl7? 

CIS} 

clQi 

cl9i 

c20| 

c20| 

c21 

c21f 

c2ll 

c22| 

c22J 

c23? 

c232 

c24i 

c243 

c25} 

e25f 

e26t 

261 

27} 

27J 

27} 

27? 

28} 

28| 

29 


Age. 


33  months 

34  months, 

35  months, 
3t>  months, 

37  months. 

38  months, 

39  months. 
40montlis. 

41  mouths. 

42  months. 

43  months. 

44  months. 

45  months. 

46  months. 

47  months. 

48  months. 

5  years 

6  years 

7  years 

8  years 

9  years 

10  years... 
U  years... 

12  years... 

13  years . . . 

14  years... 

15  years... 

16  years... 


Boys. 


Height, 
inches. 


36J 

36* 

36| 

37J 

37^ 

37^ 

371 

38* 

3S§ 

38| 

3S! 

38i 

39 

39 

39} 

39* 

41.6 

43.8 

45.7 

47.8 

49.7 

51.7 

53.3 

57.2 
59.9 
62.3 
65.0 


Weight, 
pounds. 6 


30f 

31* 
32} 
32} 
32? 
33i 
33* 
33| 
33? 
33? 
34} 
34* 
3t? 
35| 
35| 
41.1 
45.2 
49.1 
.53.9 
59.2 
65.3 
70.2 
76.9 
"  84.  8 
9J.9 
107.1 
121.0 


Girls. 


Height, 
inches. 


35| 

36* 

36j 

36? 

36| 

37 

37} 

37J 

37f 

38 

38} 

38i 

38i 

381 

38? 

39 

41.3 

43.4 

45.5 

47.6 

49.4 

51.3 

53.4 

55.9 

58.2 

59.  9 

61.1 

61.6 


Weight, 
poimds.6 


29i 
30J 
30} 
30i 
30? 
31 
31f 
32 
32i 
32| 
32? 
33 
33i 
33i 
33i 
33? 
39.7 
43.3 
47.5 
52.0 
67.1 
62.4 
68.8 
78.3 
88.7 
98.4 
106.1 
112.0 


a  The  figures  for  height  and  weight  at  birth  are  from  L.  Emmett  Holt  (Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Cliild 
hood,  1915,  p.  20)  and  are  based  on  original  observations.  Those  for  bovs  at  3  months  were  given  in  a 
personal  communication  by  Dr.  fi^lt.  The  figures  for  height  and  weight  from  6  to  48  mouths  are  from 
the  Anthropometric  Table  compiled  for  The  American  Medical  Association  by  F.  S.  Cram,  and  are  based 
on  the  measurements  of  10,423  normal  babies  (5,602  boys  and  4,821  girls)  examined  at  Baby  Health  Con- 
ferences in  31  State.-^.and  possibly  represent  measurements  slightly  above  the  average,  especially  in  weight. 
The  figures  for  height  and  weight  from  5  to  16  years  are  quotedfrom  Bowciitch  (Eighth  Annual  Report 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Alas.sachnsetts,  1877,  p.  275)  and  are  based  on  the  measurements  of  23,931 
Boston  school  children  of  American  and  foreign  parentage  (13,415  boys  and  10,516  girls).  They  agree  very 
closely  with  the  table  of  average  American  lieight  calculated  by  Boas  from  the  data  of  45,151  boys  and 
43,298  girls  in  the  cities  of  Boston,  St.  Louis,  Milwaulcee,  Worcester,  Toronto,  and  Oakland;  and  the  table 
of  average  American  weight  calculated  from  the  data  of  about  68,000  children  in  the  cities  of  Boston,  St. 
Louis,  and  Milwaukee.  (See  Baldwin,  B.  T.:  Physical  Growth  and  School  Progress,  U.  S.  Bm'eau  of 
Education  Bulletin,  1914,  No.  10.     Whole  No.  581,"p.  150.) 

b  Approximate  equivalents  of  decimal  fractions  of  a  pound  in  ounces:  0.1, 1*;  0.2,  3:  0.3,  4*;  0.4,  6:  0.5, 
8;0.6,  9*;0.7,  11;0.S,  12i;0.9, 14;1.0,  16.  .-».->. 

c  The  weights  given  in  this  table  for  children  under  2  years  are  somewhat  higher  than  those  given  by 
L.  Emmett  Holt  (Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Childhood,  1916,  p.  20).  These  are— 6  months:  Bovs  16  pounds, 
girls  15.5  pounds;  12  months:  Boys  21  pounds,  girls  20.5  pounds;  18  months:  Boys  24  pounds,  girls  23.5 
pounds;  24  months:  Boys27pounds,  girls  20  poimds.  A  variation  of  from  1  to  2  pounds  from  the  averages 
given  in  the  table  above  should  therefore  not  be  considered  abnormal.  The  heights  given  in  the  above 
table  correspond  very  closely  to  those  given  by  Holt. 

1  See  record  form,  p.  88. 


70  CHILD   CAEE. 

Heights  and  weights  are  given  separately  for  boys  and  girls. 
Averages  are  given  for  births,  for  every  month  from  6  to  48,  and 
thereafter  for  every  year  up  to  16.  The  heights  and  weights  of  the 
children  examined'  are  to  be  compared  with  these  average  heights 
and  weights.  No  heights  and  weights  are  given  for  the  separate 
months  after  48  months.  With  children  over  four  years  of  age,  use 
the  age  at  his  last  birthday. 

HOME  MEDICINE  CLOSET.' 

Every  household  has  a  collection  of  drugs  and  applications  for  sickness. 
Such  articles  should  be  kept  together  in  some  convenient  closet  or  specially 
planned  medicine  cupboard,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  any  household  emergency. 
All  medicines  should  be  plainly  labeled  and  fresh ;  old,  stale  drugs  are  worth- 
less and  should  be  thrown  out.  Poison  should  be  kept  in  bottles  of  a  peculiar 
shape,  with  red  labels,  so  that  both  touch  and  sight  may  give  warning.  It  is 
safer  also  to  keep  poisons  out  of  the  general  medicine  cabinet,  on  some  high 
shelf  which  children  can  not  possibly  reach. 

The  following  articles  will  be  of  use  in  the  average  household : 

APPLIANCES. 

1  graduated,  8-ounce  glass  measure. 

White  Castile  soap. 

1  spirit  lamp. 

*  pound  absorbent  cotton. 

Cotton  waste. 

1  package  of  antiseptic  gauze. 

3  gauze  bandages,  different  widths  (1,  2,  and  3  inches). 

1  roll  adhesive  plaster  (1-inch  width). 

1  roll  old  linen  and  cotton  cloth. 

1  small  blanket  or  old  woolen  pieces. 

1  rubber  sheet  or  piece  of  table  oilcloth. 

1  pair  of  scissors. 

1  pair  small  dressing  forceps.  <* 
Clinical  thermometer. 

2  bent  glass  drinking  tubes. 

1  fountain  syringe,  preferably  enamel  ware. 

1  bed  pan. 

1  hot-water  bottle. 

1  medicine  glass  and  teaspoon. 

1  eye  cup. 

1  oil  atomizer  for  nose  and  throat. 

DRUGS. 

Disinfectants  : 

Lysol. 

Bichloride  of  mercury  tablets  (these  are  deadly  poison). 

Boracic  acid. 

Hydrogen  peroxide. 

Tincture  of  iodine. 
Cathartics : 

Mineral  oil. 

Milk  of  magnesia. 

Castor  oil. 

Calomel ;  fifty  At  grain. 

Epsom  salts. 

Cascara  sagrada  tablets ;  fifty  5  grains. 

Senna  leaves. 

1  Adapted  from  The  Child  in  Disease,  Dorothy  Reed  Mendenhall,  M.  D.,  Correspondence- 
Study  Department,  Extension  Division,  University  of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis. 


THE   PEESCHOOL  AGE.  71 

External  use  (mainly)  : 

Alcohol. 

Glyceriu. 

Olive  oil. 

Camplioratecl  oil. 

Turpentine. 

Vaseline  (tube). 

Cold  cream. 

Zinc  oxide  ointment ;  10  per  cent. 

Carbolized  vaseline   (tube). 

Talcum  powder. 
Miscellaneous: 

Sirup  of  iiiecac. 

Compound  tincture  of  benzoin. 

Powdered  mustard. 

Sodium  bicarbonate  (baking  soda). 

Powdered  charcoal. 

Precipitated  challc. 

Calcined  magnesia. 

Aromatic  spirit.s  of  ammonia. 

POISONS  AND  THEIR  ANTIDOTES. 

Children  sometimes  eat  or  drink  poisonous  substances,  and  it  is 
necessar}^  for  the  mother  to  know  what  to  do  in  such  an  emergency. 
The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  send  for  the  doctor.  An  emetic  should  be 
given  at  once,  except  when  the  poison  swallowed  belongs  to  the  cor- 
rosive class.  (See  Tables  II  and  III  following.)  Lukew-arm  water 
is  a  good  emetic.  Let  the  patient  swallow  all  he  can  be  induced  to 
take.  In  addition,  a  teaspoonful  of  common  salt  or  mustard  dis- 
solved in  a  glass  of  w^arm  water  w'ill  cause  vomiting  in  many  cases, 
or  one  or  tw^o  teaspoonfuls  of  the  wine  or  sirup  of  ipecac.  Tickling 
the  back  of  the  patient's  throat  will  often  lead  to  vomiting. 


72 


CHILD   CAItE. 


Tables  I,  II,  and  III,^  which  follow,  give  a  list  of  the  different 
classes  of  poisons  with  their  antidotes: 


Table  I. — Poisons  for  toJiich  an  emetic  is  always  given  first. 


Poison. 

Symptoms. 

Treatment  (besides  emetic). 

TrNBaTOWN    

Stimulants;  soothing  liquids. 

ALCOHOL: 

In  any  form— rum,  gm,  whisky, 
proof  spirits,  etc.,  also  methyl 
alcohol. 

Giddiness,  swaying  of  body,  ina- 
bility to  stand.    Face  flushed, 
eyes  red,  skin  clammj^,  weak 
pulse,  may  be  convulsions  and 
unconsciousness. 

Hot  coffee  or  aromatic  spirits  of 
ammonia.  Try  to  arouse,  but 
if  weak  do  not  exhaust  by  mak- 
ing walk.  Dash  cold  water  on 
face  and  chest.  WTien  some- 
what recovered,  wrap  warmly 
and  put  to  bed. 

AaSENIC: 
Found  in  rat  poisons,  vermin 
killer,    Paris    ^reen.    Fowler's 
solution.    Sometimes  in  tinned 
Iruits  and  beer. 

Severe  pam  in  stomach,  purging, 
severe  cramps  in  legs,  vomiting, 
dryness  of  throat,  cold  sweats, 
profound  shock. 

Much  lukewarm  water.  Magne- 
sia in  large  quantity  or  dialyzed 
iron  in  i-oimce  doses,  repeated. 
Beaten-up  eggs  or  castor  oU  and 
stimulants.  Warmth  and  rub- 
bing. If  rat  poison  has  been 
taken,  treat  as  for  poisoning  by 
arsenic. 

tEAD: 

Sugar  of  lead,  lead  paint,  white 
lead. 

Throat  dry,  metallic  taste  with 
much  thirst,  colic  in  abdomen, 
cramps   in    legs,   cold   sweat; 
sometimes  paralysis  of  legs  and 
convulsions. 

i  ounce  Epsom  salts  in  tumbler 
of  water.  Stimulants  and  sooth- 
ing liquids. 

OPnJM: 

Landauum,     morphine,    pare- 
goric,   some    soothing     su'ups 
and  cough  mixtures. 

Drowsiness,  fmally  unconscious- 
ness; pulse  full  at  first,  then 
weak;  breathing  full  and  slow 
at  first,  gradually  slower  and 
shallow;  pinliead  pupils;  face 
flushed,  then  purple. 

May  have  difllculty  in  getting 
emetic  to  work;  plenty  of 
strong  coffee.  Try  to  arouse  by 
speakuag  loudly  and  threaten- 
ing, but  do  not  exhaust  by  com- 
pelling to  walk,  etc.  Stimu- 
lants and  artificial  respiration. 

PHOSPHOKUS: 

In  matches,  phosphorus  paste  in 
many  rat  poisons  and  vermin 
killers,  often  with  arsenic. 

Severe  pain  in  stomach,  vomit- 
ing.    Skin  is  dark  and  may 
have     odor     of     phosphorus. 
Bleeding    from   nose,    bloody 
purging.    Convulsions. 

Epsom  salts,  J  ounce  in  tumliler 
of  water,  or  magnesia.  Stimu- 
lants. Soothing  liquid  best. 
Milk.    Avoid  fats  and  oils. 

PTOMAINE: 

Poisoning    by    decayed    meat, 
fish,  milk,  or  ice  cream. 

Nausea,  vomiting,  purging.   Skin 
cold  and  clammy.   Pulse  weak. 
Severe     pain     in     abdomen, 
cramps,  great  prostration  and 
weakness.    Often  eruption  on 
skin. 

Purgative,  castor  oil  or  Epsom 
salts.  Teaspoonful  of  powdered 
charcoal,  and  repeat. 

STRYCHNINE— NUX    VOM- 
ICA: 

Strychnine  is  frequently  used 
on  meat  to  poison  animals  and 
in  some  vermin  killers. 

Convulsions,  very  severe,  alter- 
nating with  cramps,  aflectuig 
all  muscles  of  body.    Back  is 
bowed  up  by  spasms  of  mus- 
cles.   Jaws  are  locked.    Spasm 
of  muscles  is  so  great  that  it 
prevents  breathing,  so  face  be- 
comes dusky. 

Powdered  charcoal,  if  possible  in 
large  quantity.  Follow  with 
another  emetic.  Absolute  quiet 
so  as  uot  to  bring  on  convul- 
sions. 

i 


1  From  American  National  Red  Cross  textbook  on  first  aid,  pp.  118—122. 


THE    PRESCHOOL    AGE.  73 

Table  II. — Poisons  for  which  an  emetic  should  not  be  given  first. 


Poison. 

Symptoms. 

Treatment. 

MERCURY: 

Corrosive  sublimate,  antiseptic 
taVilets.    Oilier  salts  of  mercury 
much  less  commonly  used. 

Corrosive  sublimate  is  very  irri- 
tatiufr,  so  when  taken  turns 
mouth,  lips,  and  tongue  white. 
Mouth  is  swollen  and  ton.sue 
is  shriveled:  always  metallic 
taste  in  mouth.    Fain  in  abdo- 
men.    Nausea  and  vomiting 
mucus  and  Mood,  bloody  pur- 
ging, cold  clammy  skin,"  great 
prostration,  and  convulsions. 

First,  give  -white  of  egg  or  whole 
egg  beaten  up;  flour  and  water, 
but  not  so  good.  Emetics, 
soothing  liquids,  and  stimu- 
lants. 

NITRATE  OF  SILVER: 

Lunar  caustic. 

Pain   in    mouth   and   stomach; 
mouth  first  colored  white,  then 
black;  vomit  first  white  then 
turns  black. 

Common  salt  dissolved  in  water, 
or  milk  very  frecjuently.  Then 
emetic.  Afterward  soothing 
liquids  and  stimulants. 

Table  III. — Poisons  for  which  an  emetic  should  never  he  given. 


Poison. 

Symptoms. 

Treatment. 

Strong  corrosive  acids: 

1.  ACETIC. 

2.  HYDROCHLORIC   (spirits 

of  salt). 

3.  NITRIC  '•aquo  fortis). 

4.  SULPHtJRIC  (vitriol). 

Very    severe    burning   pain    in 
mouth,  throat,  and  stoinacli. 
Wherever  acid  touches  skin  or 
mucous   memluanc  they   arc 
destroyed.    Frequently  vomit- 
ing and  purging.    JI  ore  or  less 
sulTctcalion   ifrom    swelling    of 
throat,  great  prostration  and 
shock. 

An  alkali  to  neutralize  acid.  Best, 
Magncsiaorchalk  in  water, given 
frequently  and  freely.  Lime, 
whiiing,  baking  soda,  plaster, 
tooth  powder,  or  even  wood 
ashes  may  all  be  used  for  alkali, 
or  amiuonia,  a  tablespoonful  to 
2  cups  of  water,  but  those  men- 
tioned above  arc  better  as  they 
are  less  irritating.  Afterwards, 
sootliing  liquids,  milk,  milk  and 
egg,  olive  oil.  Stimulants  are 
practically  always  required.  If 
acid  has  "entered  air"  passage, 
may  inhale  fumes  of  ammonia. 

OXALIC  ACID  (salts  of  lemon 
or  sorrel). 

Much  like  corrosive  acids  just 
named,  but  not  so  much  burn- 
ing of  lips,  etc. 

Magnesia,  chalk,  and  water  or 
limewater  to  neutralize  acid. 
Then  1  ounce  of  castor  oil  and 
stimulants  freely. 

CARBOLIC  ACID  (phenol): 
(Very  commonly  used  in   at- 
tempts at  suicide.) 

It  is  also  a  powerful  corrosive 
poison  which  causes  great  pain 
and    vomiting.    Severe    case: 
Unconsciousness  very  soon  and 
early  death.    Usually  easy  to 
tell 'by  odor  of  acid  and  bum, 
which  with  pure  acid-  is  white 
and  with  impure,  black. 

P.insc  mouth  with  pure  alcohol. 
11  grown  person,  should  swallow 
3  or  4  tablespoonfuls  of  alcohol 
mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
water.  Follow  this  in  5  minutes 
with  2  tablespoonfuls  of  Epsom 
salts  dissolved  in  a  little  water. 
Though  not  so  good,  limewater 
may  be  used  to  rinse  mouth, 
sev"eral  glasses  of  it  being  swal- 
lowed; 3  or  4  raw  eggs  may  be 
given  or  castor  or  sweet  oi). 
Stimulants  always,  and  keep 
warm. 

Strong  caustic  alkalies: 

1.  A  M  M  0  N  I A  :  Strong  am- 

monia, ammonia  liniment 
camphor  liniment. 

2.  LIME:  Quicklime. 

3.  POTASH:  Causiic potash. 

4.  SODA:  Caustic  soda. 

Mu.ch  like  corrosive  acids.    Im- 
mediate severe  burning,  pain  in 
mouth,  throat,  and  stomach. 
Vomiting  and  piu-ging.    Alkali 
destroys  tissues  of  mouth  it  has 
touched.    Severe    shock    and 
suffocation  from  swelling. 

An  acid  to  neutralize  alkalL 
Vinegar,  lemon  or  orange  juice. 
Tartaric  or  citric  acid  in  plenty 
of  water.  Soothing  liquids, 
stimulants.  If  can  not  swallow, 
may  inhale  acetic  acid  or  vinegar 
from  a  pocket  handkerchief. 

CAUTION:  In  giving  any  antidote  do  not  wait  for  it  to  dissolve  but  stir  it  up  in  any  fluid  which  can 
be  obtained  except  oil,  and  give  it  at  once. 


u 


CHILD  CARE. 


STATE  AND  MUNICIPAL  BUREAUS  OF  CHILD  HYGIENE. 

Most  of  the  States  of  the  United  States  and  many  cities,  through 
their  boards  of  health,  publish  pamphlet  material  on  subjects  coii- 
nected  with  health,  sanitation,  and  the  care  of  children  of  great 
interest  and  value  to  mothers.  Such  pamphlets  arc  usually  dis- 
tributed free  to  residents  of  the  State  and  may  be  had  upon  appli- 
cation to  the  secretary  of  the  State  board  of  health  at  the  capital 
or  to  the  health  officer  of  the  given  city.  These  include  such  sub- 
jects as  the  various  contagious  diseases,  pure  milk  and  water  sup- 
plies, fly  extermination,  and  the  care  of  the  baby.  A  list  would 
j)robably  be  furnished  if  desired. 

State  universities  and  agricultural  colleges  likewise  publish  and 
distribute  a  great  deal  of  valuable  material  through  their  extension 
fc;ervices,  particularly  in  home  economics,  and  will  be  glad  to  answer 
questions  about  it.  Lists  will  doubtless  be  furnished  upon  applica- 
tion. When  writing  it  will  be  well  to  specify  the  kind  of  information 
desired. 

Five  States  have  established  bureaus  or  divisions  of  child  hygiene. 
These  are  as  follows:  New  York,  at  Albany;  New  Jersey,  at  Tren- 
ton; Ohio,  at  Columbus;  Kansas,  at  Topeka;  and  Montana,  at 
Helena. 

These  bureaus  are  designed  to  collect  information  regarding  the 
needs  of  children,  particularly  with  respect  to  health,  and  may  be  of 
great  assistance  to  parents  in  advising  them  with  regard  to  their 
children.  Address:  Chief,  division  or  bureau  of  child  hygiene, 
health  department,  at  the  capital  of  the  given  State. 

The  following  cities  are  among  those  which  have  established 
municipal  divisions  or  bureaus  of  child  hygiene,  with  functions  simi- 
lar to  those  of  the  State  bureaus : 


I 


City. 

Title. 

City. 

Title. 

Akron,  Ohio 

Division  of  child  welfare. 

New  York,  N.Y... . 

Bureau  of  child  hygiene. 

(No  title  given.) 
T>ivision  of  cliild  hygiene. 

Norfolk,  Va 

(No  title  given.) 

Boston,  Mass 

Orange,  N.  J........ 

Do.    ^ 

Buffalo,  N.Y 

Bureau  of  child  hygiene. 

OshKOili,  Wis 

Passaic,  N.  J 

Division  of  child  hygiene. 

Cambridge,  Mass 

Division  of  infant  welfare. 

Do. 

Cliicrtgo,  111 

Division  of  child  liygiene. 

Paterson,  N.  J 

Do. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Child  hygiene  division. 

Peabody ,  Mass 

(No  title  given.) 

Cleveland,  Oliio 

Bureau  of  child  hvgione  (ba- 

Philadelphia, Pa.... 

Do. 

bies'  hospital  and  dispen- 

Pittsbuigh, Pa 

Bureau  of  child  welfare. 

sary). 

Ponelil-'ccpsie,  N.  Y. 

Cliild  welfare  conmmittee. 

Detroit,  Mich 

Division  of  infant  welfare. 

Providence,  R.I 

Division  of  cliild  hygiene. 

Glons  Falls,  N.Y... 

Child  welfare  department. 

San  Diego,  Cal 

Mimicipal  milk  station. 

Jersey  Citv,  N.  J 

Division  of  child  hvgicne. 

San  Francisco,  Cal. . 

Division  of  baby  hygiene. 

l.inc6ln,  Nebr ; 

Division  of  child  welfare. 

Schenectady,  N.  Y. . 

Division  of  infant  welfare. 

Memphis,  Term 

Division  of  child  hygiene. 

Seattle,  Wash 

Child  welfare  division. 

Milwaukee^  Wis 

Miimcapolis,  Minn. . 

Cliild  welfare  division. 

Springfield,  Ohio 

Division  of  child  hygiene. 

(Ni)  title  given.) 

West  Hobokcn,  N.  J. 

Bureau  of  child  hygiene. 

Montclair,  N.  J 

Department  of  infant  welfare. 

Wer^t  Orange,  N.  J. . 

Infant  welfare  department. 

Mount  Vernon,  N.Y. 

Infant  welfare  bureau. 

Worcester,  Mass . 

(No  title  given.) 
Division  of  child  hygiene. 

Nashville,  Tenn 

Bureau  of  infant  welfare. 

Yonkers,  N.  Y 

Nev,'ark.  N.  J 

Division  of  cliild  hygiene. 

I 


PRIVATE  ASSOCIATIONS  FOR  INFANT  WELFARE. 

In  nearly  all  the  larger  cities  of  the  country  and  in  many  smaller 
ones,  including  a  number  of  villages,  private  associations  are  carry- 
ing on  some  form  of  infant  and  child-welfare  work  which  mothers 
should  find  of  great  help  in  their  problems.     Information  regarding 


f 


THE   PRESCHOOL  AGE.  75 

these  sources  of  assistance,  including  addresses,  is  given  in  "A  Tab- 
ular Sfatement  of  Infant- Welfare  Work  by  Public  and  Private 
Agencies  in  the  United  States,"  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No.  16, 
which  "will  be  sent  free  upon  application  to  the  Children's  Bureau, 
United  States  Department  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 

HOSPITAL  AND   INSTITUTIONAL   CARE  FOR   CHILDREN. 

Information  regarding  public  hospitals  for  the  sick  or  crippled 
and  institutions  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  the  blind,  deaf  and 
dumb,  defective,  or  other  classes  of  children  needing  special  attention 
may  be  secured  from  the  State  board  of  health  at  the  State  capital, 
or  from  the  health  officer  of  a  given  city  or  from  physicians. 

Parents  may  be  again  reminded  that  many  defects  are  capable  of 
being  cured  or  greatly  mitigated  if  treatment  is  undertaken  while 
the  child  is  under  5  years  of  age.^ 

Practicalh^  all  States  have  public  or  private  agencies  for  the  care 
of  dependent  children.  Information  concerning  child-carin^^-  work 
in  any  State  may  be  secured  by  writing  to  the  State  board  oi  chari- 
ties or  board  of  control  at  the  State  capital. 

GOVERNMENT  PUBLICATIONS. 

Many  instructive  publications  relating  to  the  home  and  family  are 
published  by  the  various  departments  of  the  Federal  Government. 
These  are  cUstributed  to  applicants  free  of  charge,  as  long  as  the 
supply  lasts. 

A  classified  list  follows.  For  details  in  regard  to  obtaining  Gov- 
ernment publications,  see  page  78. 

CARE    AND    HYGIENE    OF    CHILDREN. 

Care  of  the  Baby,  Public  Health  Supplenient  No.  10. 

Summer  Care  of  Infants,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  16. 

I'renatal  Care,  Ohiklren'.s  Bureau  Publication  No.  4. 

Infant  Care,  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No.  8. 

Child  Care,  Childreii'.s  Bureau  Publication  No.  80. 

Baby- Week  Campaigns  (revised  edition),  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No.  15. 

1  In  certain  States  cliildron  born  with  curable  flcfpct.=;  are  treated  free  of  charge. 
Among  these  are  the  following  : 

Michigan: — Medical  and  surgical  treatment,  together  with  board,  lodging,  nursing,  etc., 
free  of  charge,  at  the  hospital,  established  in  connection  with  the  Michigan  University  at 
Ann  Arbor,  is  provided  for  dependent  children  in  institutions  and  for  those  who  are 
eligible  for  admission  to  such  institutions  but  who  may  not  be  admitted  because  of 
physical  defects.     Howell's  Statutes,  1912.  arc  35-55. 

Minnesota. — The  St.ite  Hospital  (at  St.  Pau!)  for  indigent,  crippled,  deformed,  or  dis- 
eased children  who  have  been  resident  of  the  State  for  not  less  than  1  year.  It  is  under 
the  control  and  man.agement  of  the  State  Board  of  Control.  General  Statutes,  1913,  ch. 
25.  sees.  4135-4138. 

Wisconsin. — Within  24  hours  after  the  birth  of  any  child  with  a  deformity  or  physical 
defect,  the  attending  physician  or  midwife,  or  if  there  is  no  physician  or  midwife  in  at- 
tendance then  the  parent  or  guardian  of  the  child,  or  other  responsible  person,  shall,  in 
addition  to  and  separate  from  the  notice  thereof  required  in  the  birtli  certiticate,  directly 
notify  the  State  board  of  health  of  such  deformity  or  defect  and  shall  explain  as  fully  as 
possible  the  exact  nature  thereof.  Said  physician  or  midwife,  or  parent,  guardian,  or 
other  responsible  person  may,  in  addition  to  the  notice  and  explanation  herein  required 
make  such  suggestions  or  reco.mmendations  as  to  the  care,  treatment,  or  correction  of 
sui'h  deformed  or  defective  person,  or  give  such  information  with  reference  thereto  as  he 
may  deem  necessary  or  helpful.  Statutes,  sees.  1022-30m.l.,  as  added  by  Laws  of  1917, 
ch.   105. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  State  Board  of  Control  to  commit  any  child  deformed  or  physically 
deflective  at  the  time  of  birth,  or  to  cause  such  child  to  be  committed,  to  such  State 
public  school,  or  to  such  other  appropriate  hospital  as  the  board  may  determine,  for 
surgical  or  other  treatment  and  care  whenever  in  the  judgment  of  the  board  such  child 
would  be  benefited  thpreby  and  such  treatment  has  not  been  or  is  not  likelv  to  be  other- 
wise provided.     Statutes,  sec.  5613  (13),  as  added  by  Laws  of  1917,  ch.  105. 


*IQ  CHILD   CARE. 

Maternal  IVIortality  from  All  Conditions  Connected  with  Childbirth  in  the  United 
States  and  Certain  Other  Countries,  Children's  Bureau  Publication  -No.  19. 

How  to  Conduct  a  Children's  Health  Conference,  Children's  Bureau  Publica- 
tion No.  23. 

A  Tabular  Statement  of  Infant-Welfare  Work  by  Public  and  Private  Agencies 
in  the  United  States,  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No.  16. 

Infant- Welfare  Work  in  War  Time,  Children's  Bureau  Iteprint. 

Maternity  and  Infant  Care  in  a  Rural  County  in  Kansas,  Children's  Bureau 
Publication  No.  20. 

MILK. 

The  Care  of  JNIilk  and  Its  Use  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  413. 

Use  of  Milk  as  Food,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  363. 

*The  Covered  Milk  Pail,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  210.     (5  cents.) 

Extra  Cost  of  Producing  Clean  Milk,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  Circular 
No.  170. 

*Milk  and  Its  Relation  to  Public  Health,  Hygienic  Laboratory  Bulletin  No. 
56.     ($1.) 

Clean  Milk:  Production  and  Handing.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  602. 

Removing  Garlic  Flavor  from  JMilk  and   Cream,   Farmers'   Bulletin  No.   COS. 

Safe  Milk,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  31. 

Milk,  The  Indispensable  Food  for  Children,  Children's  Bureau  Publication  No. 
35.  (This  bulletin  contains  many  additional  references  to  literature  con- 
cerning milk.) 

OTHEE   FOODS. 

Ten  Lessons  on  Food  Conservation — Lesson  IX,  Fundamentals  of  an  Adequate 
Diet,  United  States  Food  Administration,  Washington,  1917. 

Food  for  Young  Children,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  717. 

School  Lunches,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  712. 

How  to  select  foods :  I.  What  the  Body  Needs,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  808. 

How  to  select  foods :  II.  Cereal  Foods,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  817. 

How  to  select  foods :  HI.  Foods  Rich  in  Protein,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  824, 

Bread  and  Bread  Making,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  807. 

Principles  of  Nutrition  and  Nutritive  Value  of  Food,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  142. 

Preparation  of  Vegetables  for  the  Table,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  256. 

Care  of  Food  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  375. 

Cereal  Breakfast  Foods,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  249. 

JMeats,  Composition  and  Cooking,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  34. 

Economical  Use  of  Meat  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  391. 

The  Home  Vegetable  Garden,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No,  255. 

The  Small  Vegetable  Garden,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  818. 

Food  Value  of  Corn  and  Corn  Products,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  298. 

Nuts  and  Their  T^sos  as  Food.  Farmers'  Bidletin  No.  332. 

*Fish  as  Food,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  85.     (5  cents.) 

Use  of  Fruit  as  Food,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  293. 

Use  of  Corn,  Kafir,  and  Co\^^peas  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  559. 

Corn  Meal  as  a  Food  and  Ways  of  Using  It,   Farmers'   Bulletin  No.  565. 

Okra :   Its  Culture  and  Uses,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  232. 

Home  Manufacture  and  Use  of  Unfermented  Grape  Juice,  Farmers'  Bulletin 
No.  644. 

Cheese ;  Economical  Uses  in  the  Diet,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  487. 

Mutton  and  Its  Value  in  the  Diet,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  526. 

Sugar  and  Its  Value  as  Food,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  535. 

Honey  and  Its  Uses  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  653. 

Plonie  Fruit  Garden,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  154. 

Poultry  Management,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  287. 

Beans,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  289. 

Ice  Houses  and  Use  of  Ice  on  Dairy  Farm,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  623. 

Community  Egg  Circle,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  656. 

Succestions  for  Parcel  Post  IMarketing,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  703. 

A  Simple  Steam  Sterilizer  for  Farm  Dairy  Utensils,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  748. 

Soy  Beans,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  372. 

Drying  Beans  and  Vegetables  in  the  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  841. 

Plome  Canning  of  Fruit  and  Vegetables,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  853. 


f 


f 


THE    PEESCHOOL  AGE.  77 

*  rotfitoes.  Sweet  Potatoes,  and  Other  Starchy  Roots  as  Food,  Department  of 
Agriculture  Bulletin  No.  46S.      (5  cents.) 

*  Fats  and  Their  Economical  Use  in  the  Home,  Department  of  Agriculture  Bul- 
letin No.  469.      (5  cents.) 

*  Eggs  and  Their  Value  as  Food,  Department  of  Agriculture  Bulletin  No.  471. 

(5  cents.) 

*  Turnips,  Beets,  and  Other  Succulent  Roots,  and  Their  Use  as  Food,  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  Bulletin,  No.  .503.      (.5  cents.) 

Canned  Salmon ;  Cheaper  Thau  Meats,  and  Why,  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic 
Circular  No.  11. 

Sea  Mussels :  What  They  Are  and  How  to  Cook  Them,  Bureau  of  Fisheries, 
Economic  Circular  No.  12. 

Oy.stcrs :  The  Food  That  Has  Not  Gone  Up.  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic 
Circular  No.  13. 

Commercial  Possibilities  of  the  Goosefish,  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic  Cir- 
cular No.  18. 

The  Tilefish:  A  New  Deep-Sea  Food  Fish,  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic  Cir- 
cular No.  19. 

The  Grayfish,  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic  Circular  No.  22. 

The  Bowfin,  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Economic  Circular  No.  26. 

DISEASE. 

Contagious  Diseases:  Tlioir  Prevention  and  Control  in  Children's  Institutions, 

Public  Health  Supplement  No.  6. 
Measles,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  1. 
^Vhooping  Cough :  Its  Nature  and  Prevention,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  100. 

*  Hookworm  Disease:  Its  Nature,  Treatment,  and  Prevention,  Public  Health 
Bulletin  No.  32.     (10  cents.) 

Tuberculosis :  Its  Nature  and  Prevention,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  30. 
Tuberculosis:  Its  Predisposing  Causes,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  3. 

*  Open-Air  Schools  for  the  Cure  and  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis  Among  Chil- 
dren, Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  58.      (1.5  cents.) 

The  Relation  of  Climate  to  the  Treatment  of  Pulmonary  Tuberculosis,  Public 

Health  Bulletin  No.  35. 
Trachoma :  Its  Nature  and  Prevention,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  8. 
Some' Facts  About  Malaria,  Farmers'  BulK'^tin  No.  4,50. 
Antimalarial  Measures  for  Farmhouses  and  Plantations,  Public  Health  Reprint 

No.  105. 
Prevention  of  INIalaria,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  170. 
Malaria :  Its  Cause  and  Prevention,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  18. 
The  Duty  of  a  Gocid  Neighbor,  Weekly  News  Uetter.  October  7,  1914. 
Diphtheria :  Its  Prevention  and  Control,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  14. 
Typhoid  Fever:  Its  Causation  and  Prevention,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  69. 
Common  Colds,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  30. 
Infantile  Paralysis,  Public  Health  Report  No.  350. 
Transmission  of  Di.seases  by  Flies.  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  29. 
Reporting  of  Disease,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  202. 
Citizens  and  the  Public  Health,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  4. 
Scarlet  Fever:  Its  Prevention  and  Control,  Public  Health  Supplement  No.  21. 

SANITATION    AND    HOTTSEHOLD    CONVENIENCES. 

The  Farm  Kitchen  as  a  Workshop.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  607. 
Homemade  Fireless  Cookers  and  Their  Use,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  771. 
Selection  of  Household  Equipment,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 

Yearbook  Separate  No.  646. 
Removals  of  Stains  from  Clothing  and  Other  Textiles,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  861. 
Good  Water  for  Farm  Homes,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  70. 
Ice  Houses  and  Use  of  Ice  on  Dairy  Farms,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  623. 
Modern  Conveniences  for  the  Farm  Home,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  270. 
Safe  Disposal  of  Human  Excreta  at  Unsewered  Homes,  Public  Health  Bulletin 

No.  68. 
The  Sanitary  Privy,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  463. 


YS  CHILD  CARE. 

*Snnitar.v  Privy,  Its  Purpose  and  Construction,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  37. 

(5  cents.) 
*Disposal  of  Night  Soil,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  54.     (5  cents.) 
Staiulard  Sanitary  Privy,  North  Carolina  Board  of  Health,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
New  Design  for  a  Sanitary  Pail,  Piiblic  Health  Reprint  No.  138. 
*Rural  School  Sanitation,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  77.      (5  cents.) 
Coimtry  School  and  Rural  Sanitation,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  IIG. 
Essentials  of  Swimming  Pool  Sanitation.  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  299. 
Safe  Ice,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  213. 


Remedies  and  Preventives  Against  Mosquitoes,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  444. 
Practical  Methods  of  Disinfecting  Stables,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  480. 
House  Fleas,  Entomology  Circular  No.  108. 

A  Homemade  Flytrap  for  20  cents,  Weekly  News-Letter,  August  12,  1914. 
*  Measurements  for  the  Household,  Bureau  of  Standards,  Circular  No.  55.     (45 
cents. ) 

DKTJGS   AND   DISINFECTANTS. 

Some  Common  Disinfectants,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  345. 

Disinfectants :  Their  Use  and  Aitplication  in  the  Prevention  of  Communicable 

Diseases,  Public  Health  Bulletin  No.  42. 
The  Practical  Use  of  Disinfectants,  Public  Health  Reprint  No.  287. 

HOW   TO    OBTAIN    GOVERNMENT   PUBLICATIONS. 

To  obtain  any  of  the  publications  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  list, 
except  those  marked  with  a  star  (*),  application  should  be  made, 
either  in  person  or  b}'  mail,  to  the  following  offices : 

For  Farmers'  bulletins,  department  bulletins,  Yearbook  reprints, 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  circulars.  Bureau  of  Entomology  cir- 
culars, and  the  Weekly  News-Letter,  apply  to  the  Division  of  Pub- 
lications of  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

For  reports,  reprints,  and  supplements  of  the  Public  Health 
Service  and  for  Hygienic  Laboratory  bulletins,  apply  to  the  Chief 
Clerk  of  the  Public  Health  Service. 

For  economic  circulars  of  the  Bureau  of  Fisheries  or  of  the  Bureau 
of  Standards,  apply  to  the  Director  of  either  Bureau. 

For  publications  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  apply 
to  the  Division  of  Publications  of  that  Bureau. 

For  publications  of  the  Children's  Bureau,  address  the  Chief  of 
the  Bureau. 

All  the  above  offices  are  to  be  addressed  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Publications  marked  with  a  star  (*)  are  no  longer  available  for 
free  distribution,  but  they  must  be  purchased  at  the  price  given  from 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington, 
D.  C,  to  whom  the  request  should  be  addressed.  Money  should  be 
inclosed  with  the  request.  Postage  stamps  are  not  accepted.  The' 
superintendent  will  send  price  lists,  classified  by  subjects,  upon  re- 
(juest. 

Be  sure  to  write  your  imme  and  address  plainly  and  fully,  since 
thousands  of  Government  publications  fail  to  reach  their  destination 
each  year  either  because  the  address  was  insufficient  or  because  no 
address  whatever  was  given.  The  following  sample  form  of  request 
may  be  used : 


THE   PEESCHOOL   AGE.  79 

El  Paso,  Tex.,  June  1,  1917. 
Chief  Children's  Bureau,  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor, 

Washhiglon,  D.  C. 
Dear  Madaisi  :  Kmdly  send  me  a  copy  of  bureau  publication  No.  — 
(give  title  desired). 
Yours  truly. 


(Name.) 

(Number.)  (Street.) 


[or ] 

(R.  F.  D.  No.) 

(State.) 
LIST  OF  READING  REFERENCES  ON  CHILD  CARE  AND  TRAINING. 

Headers  who  are  interested  in  making  a  -study  of  the  subjects  of 
diet,  health  and  hygiene,  and  child  training  will  find  in  the  appended 
list  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  many  books  on  these  subjects.  Some 
are  standard  reference  books  of  a  technical  nature  and  others  are 
more  general  and  popular.  Most  of  these  should  be  found  in  ])nblic 
libraries  and  at  bookstores.  Publishers  and  book  dealers  will  furnish 
prices  upon  request. 

None  of  these  publications  can  he  furrmhed  hy  the  ChUdren''s 
Bureau. 

FOODS,  DIET,  AND  HOME  MANAGEMENT. 

Bailey,  Edgar  H.  S. :  The  Source,  Chemistry,  and  Use  of  Food  Products.     P. 

Blalviston's  Son  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1914. 
Bartlett,  Frederic  H.,  M.  D.,  Courtney,  Angelia  M.,  and  Fales,  Helen  L. :  '*  Some 

analyses  of  vegetables,  showing  the  effect  of  the  method  of  cooking,"  American 

.Tournal  of  Diseases  of  Children,  July,  1917. 
Forbes.  E.  B. :  "  The  mineral  nutrients  in  practical  human  dietetics,"  Scientific 

Monthly,  March.  1916.     New  York. 
Gibbs,  W.  S.:  The  Minimum  Cost  of  Living.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York, 

1917. 
H\int,  Caroline  L. :  Home  Problems.    Whitcomb  &  Barrows,  Boston,  1908. 
Kittredge,  M.  H. :   The  Home   and   Its  Management.     The  Century  Co.,   New 

York,  1917. 
Langworthy,  Charles  F.,  Ph.  D. :  "  Food  selection  for  rational  and  economical 

living,"  Scientific  Monthly,  March,  1916.     New  York. 
Lessons  in  the  Proper  Feeding  of  the  Family.    Association  for  Improving  Con- 
dition of  the  Poor,  New  York. 
Lusk,  Graham :  The  Fundamental  Basis  of  Nutrition.     Yale  University  Press, 

New  Haven,  1914. 
McCollum,  E.  v.,  Ph.  D. :  "  The  supplementary  dietary  relationships  among  our 

natural    foodstuffs,"    Journal    American    Medical    Association,    May,   1917. 

Chicago. 
Mendel,  Lafayette  B. :  Changes  in  the  Food  Supply  and  Relation  to  Nutrition. 

Yale  University  Press,  New  Haven,  1916. 
Pattee,  Alida  F. :  Practical  Dietetics.    Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  1916. 
Richardson,  B.  J.:  The  Woman  Who  Spends.     Whitcomb  &  Barrows,  Boston, 

1904. 
Rose,  Mary  Swartz :  Feeding  the  Family.    The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1916. 


80  CHILD    CAKE. 

Sherman,  Henry  C. :  Chemistry  of  Food  and  Nutrition.  The  Macmillan  Co., 
New  Yoric,  1913. 

Food  Products.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1914. 

Stern  and  Spitz.    Food  for  the  Worker.    Whitcomb  &  Barrows,  Boston,  1917. 

Stiles,  Percy  G. :  An  Adequate  Diet.  Harvard  University  Press,  Cambridge, 
1916. 

Talbot  and  Breckenridge :  The  Modern  Household.  Whitcomb  &  Barrows,  Bos- 
ton, 1912. 

Wellman,  M.  T. :  Food  Study.     Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  Boston,  1917. 

"Wheeler,  Ruth :  "  Proteins  in  Growth."  Scientific  Monthly,  March,  1916. 
New  York. 

HEALTH    A^'D    HYGIENE. 

American  Red  Cross  textbooks  on  first  aid.  P.  Blakiston's  Son  &  Co.,  Phila- 
delphia, 1916. 

Bancroft,  Jessie  H. :  Posture  of  School  Children.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1913. 

Brackett,  Charles  A. :  Care  of  the  Teeth.  Harvard  University  Press,  Cam- 
bridge, 1915. 

Cabot,  R.  G. :  A  Layman's  Handbook  of  Medicine.  Hoiighton,  Mifflin  Co.,  Boston, 
1916. 

Cromie,  William  J. :  Keeping  Physically  Fit.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York, 
1916. 

Fisher,  Irving,  and  Fisk,  Eugene  L. :  How  to  Live.  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Co.,  New 
York,  1916. 

Foster,  M.  A. :  A  Textbook  of  Physiology.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1914. 

Delano,  J.  A.,  and  Mclsaac,  Isabel :  American  Red  Cross  Textbook  on  Ele- 
mentary Hygiene  and  Home  Care  of  the  Sick.  P.  Blakiston's  Son  &  Co., 
Philadelphia,  1913. 

Goldthwait,  Joel  E. :  "  The  Relation  of  Posture  to  Human  Efficiency  and  the 
Infliience  of  Poise  Upon  the  Support  and  Functions  of  the  Viscera."  Boston 
Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  Dec.  9,  1909,  Boston, 

Gray,  Henry :  Anatomy,  Descriptive  and  Surgical.  Lea  &  Febiger,  Philadel- 
phia, 1908. 

Hill,  H.  W.,  M.  D. :  The  New  Public  Health.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York, 
1916. 

Hoag,  Ernest  B. :  The  Health  Index  of  Children.  Whittaker  &  Ray-Wiggin 
Co.,  San  Francisco,  1910. 

Holt.  L.  Emmett :  The  Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Childhood.  D.  Appleton  &  Co., 
New  York,  1911. 

Hough,  Theodore,  .and  Sedgi^dck,  William  T. :  The  Human  Mechanism.  Ginn 
&  Co.,  Boston,  1906. 

Hutchinson,  Woods:  Hutchinson's  Handbook  of  Health.  Houghton,  Mifflin 
Co.,  Boston,  1911. 

Preventable  Diseases.     Houghton,  Mifflin  Co.,  Boston,  1909. 

Kerley,  Charles  G. :  The  Practice  of  Pediatrics.  W.  B.  Saunders  Co.,  Philadel- 
phia, 1914. 

Lippert,  B.  E.,  and  Holmes,  Arthur :  When  to  Send  for  the  Doctor.  J.  B. 
Lippincott  Co.,  Philadelpliia,  1913. 

]\tartin,  H.  N. :  The  Pluman  Body.    Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  New  York,  1910. 

Mendel,  Lafayette  B. :  Childhood  and  Growth.  F.  A.  Stokes  Co.,  New  York, 
1906. 

McKenzie,  R.  Tait :  Exercise  in  Education  and  Medicine.  W.  B.  Saunders 
Co.,  Philadelphia,  1915. 

Oppenheim,  Nathan :  Care  of  the  Child  in  Health.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1910. 

Pyle,  Walter  Iv. :  A  Manual  of  Personal  Hygiene.  W.  B.  Saunders  Co.,  Phila- 
delphia, 1912. 

Rankin,  Francis  II. :  Hygiene  of  Childhood.    D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York,  1890. 

Rosenau,  M.  T. :  Preventive  Medicine  and  Hygiene.  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New 
Yoi-k,  1917. 

Rotch,  Tliouias  M. :  Pediatrics.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  4th  edition,  Phila- 
delphia, 1906. 

Rowe,  Stuart  H. :  Physical  Nature  of  the  Child.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1915. 

Sayre,  Lewis  A. :  Orthopedic  Surgery  and  Diseases  of  the  Joints.  D.  Appleton 
&  Co.,  New  York,  1876. 


THE    PRESCHOOL   AGE.  81 

Seilgwick,  Wm.  T. :   Priuciples  of   Sauitary   Science   aud   Public  Health.     The 

Macinillan  Co.,  New  York,  1002. 
Taylor.  Henry  L. :  Orthope<lic  Hurgery.     D.  Appletoii  &  Co.,  New  York.  1910. 
Tennau,  L.  M. :  Hygiene  of  tlie  School  Child.     Houghton,  Mifflin  Co..  Boston, 

1914. 
AVhitman.  Royal :  A  Treatise  on  Ortliopedic  Surgery.    Lea  &  Febiger,  New  York, 

1910. 
"\Vo<Hhvorth,  R.  S. :  The  Care  of  the  Body.    The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1912. 

TRAINING  AND  DEVKLOPMENT. 

Alfhott,  E.  H. :  On  the  Training  of  Parents.     Houghton.  Mifflin  Co..  Boston.  1908. 

Adilaius,  Jane:  The  Spirit  of  Youth  and  the  City  Street.^.  The  Macmillan  Co., 
New  York,  1909. 

Belts.  G.  H. :  Fathers  and  INlothers.     Bobbs-Merrill  Co.,   Indianapolis,  1915. 

Coinstock.  Sarah :  jMothercraft.  Hearst's  International  Library  Co.,  New 
York,  1915. 

Davis.  Edward  P. :  Mother  and  Child.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  3d  edition,  Phila- 
delphia, 1915. 

Drninniond.  AY.  B. :  The  Child,  His  Nature  and  Nurture.  J.  M.  Dent  &  Sons, 
I^ondon,  1915. 

Fisher.  Mrs.  D.  C. :  Mothers  and  Children.    Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  New  York,  1914. 

Forbush,  W.  B. :  The  Boy  Problem  in  the  Home.     Pilgrim  Press.  Boston.  1915. 

C.uyer.  M.  F. :  Being  Well  Born.     Bobbs-^Ierrill  Co.,  Indianapolis.  1916. 

Hall,  G.  Stanley :  Youth.  Its  Education,  Regimen,  and  Hygiene.  D.  Appleton  & 
Co.,  New  York.  1907. 

Hillyer,  Virgil  M. :  Child  Training:  a  System  of  Education  for  the  Cliild  T'ndor 
School  Age.     Century  Co.,  New  York,  1915. 

Jewett.  F.  G. :  The  Next  (Jeneration.     Ginn  &  Co.,  New  York,  1914. 

Hodges,  George:  Training  of  Children  in  Religion.  D.  Appleton  i^  Co.,  New 
York.  1911. 

Hunt,  C.  W. :  AVhat  Sliall  AVe  Read  to  the  Children.  Houghton,  :Mifflin  &  Co., 
Boston,  1915. 

Key,  Ellen  S. :  The  Century  of  the  Child.    G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  1909. 

Lee.  .Joseph :  Play  in  Education.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York.  1915. 

Love.ioy,  Sophia  :  Self-training  for  Motherhood.  American  Unitarian  Associa- 
tion, New  York,  1914. 

]Mumford.  Edith  K.  Reed  :  The  Dawn  of  Character,  a  Study  of  Child  Life.  Long- 
mans, Green  &  Co.,  New  York,  1910. 

Oppenheim,  Nathan  :  The  Development  of  the  Child.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  New 
York,  1902. 

Saleebv.  C'aleb  AV. :  Parenthood  and  Race  Culture.  ISIoffatt,  Y'ard  «&  Co.,  New 
York,  1^09. 

Scott,  ]\Irs.  Miriam  Finn :  How  to  Know  Your  Child.  Little,  Brown  &  Co., 
Boston,  1915. 

Smith,  Nora  A. :  The  Homemade  Kindergarten.  Hougliton,  Mifflin  Co..  Boston, 
1912. 

Swift,  E.  -T. :  IMind  in  the  Making.     Chas.  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.  1908. 

SEX    EDVCATION. 

Armstrong.  Donald  B.,  M.  D.,  aud  E.  P.. :  Sex  in  Life.  American  Social  Hygiene 
Association,  New  York,  1916. 

Ellis,  G.  F. :  The  Origin  of  Life,  a  Girl's  Physiology.  Central  High  School, 
Grand  Rapids,  1916. 

Galloway,  T.  W. :  Biology  of  Sex.     J.  G.  Coulter,  Bloomington,  1916. 

Hall,  W.  S. :  From  Youth  into  Manhood.  American  iMedical  Association,  Chi- 
cago, 1910. 

Hood,  M.  G. :  Foi-  Girls  and  the  Mothers  of  Girls.  Bobbs-Merrill  Co.,  Indianap- 
olis, 1914. 

Latimer,  C.  "\V. :  Girl  and  Woman.     D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New-  York,  1910. 

Lyttleton,  Edward :  Training  of  the  Young  in  Laws  of  Sex.  Longmans,  Green  & 
Co.,  London.  1910. 

Morley,  Mrs.  ^I.  W. :  The  Renewal  of  Life.     A.  C.  McClurg,  Chicago,  1906. 

Putnam,  Mrs.  William  Lowell :  "  The  Mother  and  the  Task  of  Sex  Education," 
Sociar Hygiene.  October.  1916. 

Smith,  N.  yi. :  The  Three  Gifts  of  Life.     Dodd,  :\Iead  &  Co.,  New  York,  1913. 

Torelle,  Ellen  :  Plant  and  Animal  Children.  How  They  Grow.  D.  C.  Heath  & 
Co.,  1912. 

■Wile,  J.  S. :  Sex  E«lucation.     DufReld,  1912. 

79312°— 18— Bull.  30 6 


WAS  THIS  CHILD'S  BIRTH  REGISTERED? 


If  you  are  not  sure  of  this,  it  will  be  a  wise  precaution  to  inquire 
of  the  State  registrar  of  vital  statistics,  addressing  him  at  the  State 
capital. 

It  may  sometime  be  of  the  utmost  importance  to  your  child  to  be 
able  to  establish  his  age  and  nationality  by  referring  to  a  legal  public 
record  of  his  birth  and  parentage.  You  may  copy  the  principal  facts 
from  the  birth  record  in  the  following  form,  if  you  desire,  and  keep 
this  book  as  an  additional  memorandum  for  the  child  when  he 
grows  up : 


Date  when  this   memorandum  was  made 

Child's    name 

Father's  name 

Mother's  maiden  name 

Sex 

If  twin  or  triplet  give  number  in  order  of  birth_ 
Date  of  birth 


(Month)  (Day)  (Year) 

Birthplace : 

City,  town,  or  village 


County- 
State— 


Attending  physician ; 
Name 


Address - 


Birth  registration  number 
82 


1 


INDEX. 


Page. 
Accidents,  necessity  of  guarding  chil- 
dren against 10,  11 

treatment    of 66,  67,  68,  71 

Acid,  cause  of  decay  of  teeth 58 

Adenoids    61 

Advice,  hygienic 51 

Air,  fresh,  necessity  of 8 

Answering  questions 50 

necessity  for  truthfulness  in »-  51 

Antidotes  for  poisons 72,  7o 

Appetite,    lack   of 29 

cultivation   of 29,  30 

freakish    30 

Arches,   broken 62 

Bacon,  use  of,  for  children 20 

Bath,   cold 53 

conveniences   for 54 

daily 52 

hot    53 

method   of 53 

room,   temperature  of 54 

shower   53 

soap  for 54 

tubs    53 

value  of 52 

Baths  and  bathing 52 

Beds  for  children 38 

Behavior,  at  meal  time 29 

bad,  in  children 48 

of  parents,  an  example  to  child  48,  49 

Bicycling   41 

Bills  of  fare 15 

breakfasts    15 

dinners 15 

suppers 16 

Birth  registration,   form   for   record- 
ing   2 

Blocks,  directions  for  making  a  sot  of  43 

Blue  prints 42 

Body-regulating  foods 14 

Books    on    child    care    and    training, 

list  of 79,80,81 

Boric  acid,  eye  wash 56 

Bowels,  care  of  the 63 

evacuation   of 37 

regulation  of,  by  foods 23 

Braces  and  supports  for  flat  foot 62 

Bran,  baths.    (See  Infant  Care,  p.  29.) 

bread,  recipe  for 63 

for  constipated  children 63 


Page. 
Breakfast  foods.     (See  Cereals.) 

Bread 23 

and    milk 17 

toast 24 

twice-baked 24 

Brushes  and  combs,  care  of 55 

Bumps  and  bruises,  treatment  of 68 

Bureaus,     State    and    municipal,     of 

child  hygiene 74 

Butter  in  diet  of  child 25 

Cake  and  cookies 27 

Candy,  used  as  dessert 27 

Caramel  flavoring  for  desserts 20 

Care   and    training   of    children,    list 

of  books  on 79 

Care  of  children  in  hospitals  and  in- 
stitutions   75 

Cellulose,  use  of,  in  diet 13 

Cereals 23 

breakfast 24 

recipes  for  use  of 19 

rule  for  cooking 25 

seasoning    of 25 

supply    starch 14, 15 

with  milk 17 

Chairs,   for  dining  room 30 

for   playroom 44 

Child    and    infant    hygiene,    bureaus 

of 74 

Childbirth,  need  of  care  at  (see  foot- 
note)    64 

Childhood,  common  accidents  of 66 

Children  and  entertainments 44 

Circulation,  effect  of  bath  upon 53 

Clay  modeling,  recipe  for  mixture 44 

Clothing 30 

amount   of 33 

at  3  years 1 30 

diagram  of 31 

for  cold  weather 34 

for  delicate   children 34 

for  hot  weather 34 

for  out-of-door  play 41 

for  out-of-door  sleeping 38 

for  play 30 

hats  and  caps 34 

material    for 32 

nightgowns 33 

Shoes  and  stockings 34 

83 


84 


INDEX. 


Page. 
Clothing— Continued. 

wasihing  of,  directions  for 32 

wraps 33 

Cocoa 18 

Coffee,   forbidden  to  cliildren 28 

Cold  baths :  53 

Cold  feet,  ta  cure 54 

Colds,    infectious 61 

Cold  weather,  ventilation   in 9 

out-of-door    play    in 41 

out-of-door   sleep  in 38 

Colored  glasses,  use  of 56 

Conilis  and  brushes,  care  of 55 

Common  foods  arranged  by  groups 14 

Condensed    milk 17 

Condiments,   flavorings   and 13 

objection   of  children  to 29 

Constipation 63 

a  cause  of  loss  of  appetite 30 

diet  in ;___  63 

measures  for  relief  of 63 

use  of  grains  in 23,  63 

use  of  cream  and  oil  for 25 

(See  also  Bowels,  care  of.) 

Control  of  infectious  diseases 66 

Corporal  punishment 49 

Cotton 32 

materials 32 

underclothing 82 

flannels,  danger  in 33 

Coughing  and  sneezing,  infection  by_  65 

Country  life  for  children 8 

Crayons,  paints,  and  pencils 42 

Cream,  use  of,  in  diet 25 

Crippled  children,  care  of,  in  hospi- 
tals  , 75 

Cross-eye 55 

Curiosity 50 

Custards,  recipes  for 20 

Dancing 41 

Deafness,  a  cause  of  retardation  in 

school ; 60 

Death,  causes  of,  in  children 64 

Deceit,  effect  of,  upon  children 50 

I)efective  children,  care  of,  in  insti- 
tutions   75 

I»efective  teeth,  results  of 57 

Deficient  diet 12 

Deformities,  of  teeth 37 

resulting  from  ill-fitting  shoes  34,  35,  62 

Delicate   children,   clothing   for 34 

examination   of 64 

food  of 11 

sleep    of 37 

Dentistry 57 

Desserts  suitable  for  children 27 

Development,  conditions  for  normal-  7,  8 

Diagram  of  child's  garment 31 

Diet 11 

advantages  of  a  mixed 12 

elements  of  a  well-chosen 12 

importance  of,  to  good  teeth 58 

limitation  of,  by  poor  teeth 57 

regulation  of 11 

welI-<hosen 12 

(Sec  (lino   I<^ood.) 


Page. 

Digestion,  processes  of 57 

Discipline 47,  48 

and  education 45 

Disease,  prevention  of , 65 

Disease  germs,  entrance  into  the  body  60 

how   spread 05 

Diseases,   common,   of   childhood 64,  66 

infectious 65 

respiratory 65 

Doughnuts  and  calje  for  children 27 

caution  against 25 

Drafts  of  air  not  dangerous .       9 

Dress,  design  for  simple 31 

Dressings  for  wounds 67 

Dried  milb: 17 

Drills,  tooth  brush ."9 

Drinking   water,   need   for   plenty   of 

good 28 

Ears,  care  of 60 

discharging  and  painful 60 

foreign   bodies  in 60 

Education 49 

and*  discipline 45 

by  answering  questions 50 

by  imitation 49 

early 49 

home 39,  49 

sex 50 

Eggs 23 

coddled 23 

hard  boiled- 18 

soft  boiled,  footnote 15 

Emergencies 66 

caution  against  scalding  in 53 

Enlarged  tonsils 61 

Entertainments  for  children 44 

danger    of   public 45 

Epidemics,  control  of  spread  of 66 

Equipment  of  playroom 44 

Evaporated  milk 17 

Examination,   medical 64 

Exercise 38 

natural 39 

provision  for 40 

Eyes,   after  illness 56. 

care  of 55 

treatment   of -  56 

Eyesight,  protection  of 55 

training  of 56 

Fat,   in   the   child's   diet 12,25 

in  whole  milk 25 

proper  forms  of,   for  children 25 

use  of,  in  constipation 25 

Feet,  cold,  treatment  of 54 

care  of 62 

deformities    of 34,35,62 

training  of 62 

Filling  the  teeth ■_--  57 

Pish 22 

Fitting  the  shoes 35 

Flats  and  apartments,  as.  homes  for 

children 7 

Flat  foot,  collection  of 62 

Flavoring,  caramel 20 

Flavorings    and    condiments 13 

Floating  island 20 


IXDEX. 


85 


Page. 

Food 11 

ailapted  to  aui- 11 

iiiltivation  of  tas?te  for  proper-  29 

♦'lements j. 13 

<;roups    10.23,25,26,27 

seasoning   of 25,  29 

selettiou  of  propt-r 12 

Foods 12 

body-regulating 14 

<ireal 17,  19,  23,  24 

classes   of 14,16 

cooking  of  cereal 25 

il'pended  upon  for  fat 14 

depended  upon  for  mineral  luat- 
ter,  vegetable  acids,  and  body- 
regulating    substanc»\s 14 

depended  upon  for  protein 14 

tli'pcndcd  upon  for  starcb 14 

depended  upon  for  sugar 14 

for  children 15 

growth-promoting 13 

groups  of 16,  23,  25,  26,  27 

idios.vncrasy  towai-d  certain 29 

lists  of  common,  supplying  neces- 
sary elements 14 

nutrients  of 14 

rich  in  fat 12 

liib  in  mineral  salts 12 

rich  in  protein 12 

rich  in  starch 12 

preparation  of 21,24,26,27 

use  of  hard,  for  cleaning  teeth 58 

{See   (lino   Diet   and   separate 
articles  on  food.) 

i^oot 34 

Foreign  bodies  in  the  ear 60 

Fi'edom   of   expression   essential  to 

proper  training 40 

I":csh  air,  importance  of S 

in  bedrooms 37 

in  playroom 44 

Fried  foods,  caution  against 25 

Fruits 13,  14,  26,  27 

cooked 27 

laxative  efifects  of 27 

use  of,  in  child's  diet 27 

Furnace  heaters  for  houses 10 

Furniture  for  the  playroom 44 

«;argling 60 

(iarments,  kind  of 30 

number  of 30 

(ierms,   the    cause   of  infectious   dis- 
ease    65 

Government     pulilitations.     how     to 

obtain 78 

list  of 75,  76,  77,  78 

Crowth,  conditions  necessary  for  nor- 
mal   7 

form  for  recording page  3  of  cover. 

"  Growth-promoting  '    substances    in 

food 13,  16 

Oymnastics,  dancing  good  form  of__  41 

Habit  of  cleanliness 52 

of  obedience 47,48 

of  regular  bowel  movements 63 


Page. 

Habits 47 

necessity  for  establishing  good-  47 

necessity  of  regular 47,63 

pruper  food 28 

Hair,  care  of 54 

directions  for  shampooing 55 

short 55 

Handkerchiefs,  infection  carried  by —  65 

paper 60 

Hands,  importance  of  clean 54 

Hats  and  caps 34 

Health  and  hygiene 52 

hew  to  conserve 64 

Heating  of  homes 10 

Heights  and  weights  of  children,  ta- 
ble of 69 

Hemorrhage  from  the  nose 67 

Home,  choice  of 7 

medicine  closet TO 

Honey 13.  27 

Hospitality,  training  for 45 

Hospital  care  for  children 75 

Hot  l>aths : 53 

How   to  obtain  CJovernment  publica- 
tions   78 

Hygiene,    State    and    municipal    bu- 
reaus of  child 74 

Hygienic  advice 51 

Ice  cream 20 

Ideals  of  personal  cleanliness 51,  52 

Imitation  a  factor  in  early  education-  49 

Indoor    piny 4U 

blocks  for 43 

materials  for 42 

modeling  clay  for 44 

soap-bubble  mixture  for 43 

{See  also  riay  and  exercise; 
Out-of-door  play.) 

Infant  deaths  in  alley  houses 7 

mortality 64 

Infant  welfare,  associations  for 74,  75 

stations 64 

Infection,  prevention  of 65 

Infe<'tious  colds 61 

diseases 65 

Inherited  traits 7,  46 

Injections 63 

Instinct  for  play 39 

Institutions  for  the  care  of  children-  75 

Iron  in  diet 12 

small  amount  of  in  milk 17 

Isolation  of  cases  of  infectious  dis- 
ease    66 

Isolation  of  sick  child 66 

.ludgment,  independence  of 48 

Junket 19 

Kindness,  cultivation  of 50 

Language,  learning  correct 49 

Leather  for  children's  shoes 35 

Letter  of  transmittal 5 

Light,  proper  for  reading 56 

Lime  in  diet 12 

large  amount  of  in  milk 17 

List    of   articles    for    home    medicine 

closet 70 


86 


INDEX. 


Page. 

List  of  common  foods 3  4 

of  Government  publications 75 

of  poisons   and   antidotes 71 

of   reading   references 79 

of  State  and  municipal  bureaus 

of  child  hygiene 74 

Malnutrition,  causes  of 11 

Manners,  example  of 50 

good,   how  acquired 50 

table 30 

Mastication    29 

Mattress  for  child's  bed 38 

Meals,  number  of 29 

Meat 21 

broiled    21 

recipes  for 21 

stews 21 

substitutes 22 

Mechanical  toys.      (See  Toys.) 

Medicine  closet,  home 70 

Methods  of  Tentilation 9 

Milk 16 

amount  of  required  daily 16 

bad  results  of  high  cost  of, 

page  2  of  cover,  also  footnote-  2S 

bread   and 17 

cereals   and 17 

cocoa  and 18 

growth-promoting  qualities  of —  16 

necessary  for  children 16 

puddings 19 

recipes  for  use  of 17,  18,  19,  20 

soups 18 

Mineral  elements  of  the  diet 12 

Mischief,  preventives  of,  in  children  49 

Modeling  materials 44 

Moisture  of  the  airl ' —  10 

methods   of  securing 10 

Molars,  first,  value  of 58 

Mortality,   infant,   increased   by  poor 

ventilation 7 

Mother,    care   of 47 

prospective    (see  footnote) 64 

Mouth    breathing 61 

care  of 60 

Mouth,  throat,  and  nose,  care  of 60 

Muscular  development  due  to  play —  39 

Nagging,    habit   of 48 

Nap,    daytime 37 

Nasal   douche,   caution   against 60 

Nasal  passages,  treatment  of  clogged  60 

Night    clothing 37 

gowns 33 

sleeping  bags 9,  38 

Nose,   care  of 60 

Nosebleed 67 

Nunil)er  of  meals  per  day 29 

Obedience 47 

harm  of  blind 48 

Occupation,   necessity   of   constant —  46,  49 

Oil  and  gas  heaters 10 

Oil,  mineral,  for  clogged  nose 60 

natural,  of  scalp 54 

vegetable,  in  diet  of  children 2.") 

Orthopedic  treatment  for  flat  foot —  62 


Page. 

Outing  flannel,  very  inflammable 33 

Out-of-door  life,  benefit  of 8 

exercise 41,  63 

play 39 

Out-of-door  play 39 

apparatus   for 40 

clothing    for 30,33,37 

forms  of 41 

in  cold   climates 41 

(See  also   Play  and  exercise ; 
Indoor  play.) 

Out-of-door  sleeping 37 

Overalls 30 

Overshoes 37 

Parenthood,  new  vision  of 50 

Parents,  as  educators 50 

relation  with  children 45,46,47,50 

Parks,   provide  play  space 8,  39 

Parties,    children's 45 

Pastry,  use  of,  in  child's  diet 12,  27 

Pattern   for   child's  dress 31 

Petticoats 30 

Physical  examinations,  necessity  of —  64 

Play   and   exercise 38 

danger  of  infection  in 65 

education  by 39 

fundamental  instinct  for 39 

indoor,    material    for 42 

out-of-door,  various  forms  of 40,  41 

room 44 

work,  in  spirit  of 39 

Playing  house 40 

in  water 41 

Playroom,  how  to  furnish 44 

temperature   of 44 

ventilation   of 9 

Playthings,  for  indoor  play 42,  43 

for  out-of-door  play 40 

homemade 42 

Poisons  and  antidotes,  list  of 71,  72,  73 

Pork 26 

Poultry 22 

Private  associations  for  infant  wel- 
fare   74 

Problems   of   childhood 46,47 

Proteins 13 

Puddings,  cereal-milk 19 

milk 19 

rice 19 

Punishment 48 

corporal 49 

substitutes    for 49 

Quarrelsome  persons,  influence  of 50 

Questions,     embarrassing,     how     to 

avoid ^-  51 

truthful  answers  to 50 

Rain,   clothing  for 41 

out-of-door  play  in 41 

Reaction   to   bath 53 

Recipes  for  coddled  eggs 23 

for   meat  substitutes 22 

for  modeling  clay 44 

for   soap-bubble   mixture 43 

using  cereals 19 

using  fish 22 


INDEX. 


87 


Page. 

Recipes  using  meat 21 

using  milk 16 

using  poultry 22 

Record  of  child's  growth page  3  of  cover 

Reference  to  books  on  child  care  and 

training 79 

Itegistration  of  birth,  form  for 2 

Rennet  custard,  recipe  for 19 

Reproduction,    explanation    of 51 

Reserve,  building  of,  between  parent 

and  child 51 

Review  of  child's  diet 27 

questions  on 27 

Rice  pudding 19 

Rompers 30 

Rubbers  and  oversh'oes 34,37 

Salt,  use  of,  to  cure  cold  feet 54 

Sand  boxes,  how  to  make 40 

Seasoning,    proper,    essential 29 

Selection   of  foods 12 

of   homes 7 

Sex  education 50 

method    of 51 

parents*  part  in 50 

Sex  organs,  care  of 51 

Shampoo 55 

Shoes 34 

and   stockings 34 

diagram  for 36 

fitting   of 35 

how  to  order ; 35 

leather   for 35 

over > 37 

results  of  badly  fitted 35 

winter 36 

Shower   bath 53 

Skating 41 

Skimmed  milk,  use  of 17 

Skin,  care  of 52 

use  of  soap,  powder,  and  creams 

on 52 

Sleep 37 

amount   of 37 

conditions  for  good 37 

importance  of  plenty 37 

out-of-door 37,  38 

Sleep  and   rest 37 

Sleeping    bags 9,  38 

Sleeping   porches 9,  37 

roofs 38 

Soap 5*2 

Soap    bubbles 43 

recipe  for  mixture 43 

Socks,  unsuitable  in  winter 33 

Soups,  bean 22 

meat 22 

milk 18 

vegetable 18 

Spanking  and  whipping 49 

Spinach    (see  footnote) 26 

"  Spoiled  "   children 46,  47 

Starch   in   diet 12 

State  and  municipal  bureaus  of  child 

hygiene 74 


Page. 

Stations,    infant-welfare 64 

Stews,  fish 22 

meat 21 

milk 18 

vegetable 26 

Stockings,  importance  of  well-fitting-  34 

stretchers  for  drying 32 

(/See  also   Socks.) 

StomacL  and  intestines,  diseases  of_  04 

training  of 11 

Stoves,  dangers  of  oil  and  gas 10 

Stretchers  for  drying  garments 32 

Styes 56 

Substitutes  for  meat 22 

Suburban  homes,  value  of  to  children-  8 

Sugar,  uses  of 12,27 

(See  also  Sweets.) 

Suppositories (>:> 

Surroundings,  favorable  to  growth 7 

to  modify  unfavorable 8 

Sweets,    simple 27 

Swimming 41 

Swings 40 

Table   manners 30 

Table    oil 25 

Tables,  covering  for 56 

•      for  dining  room 30 

for  play  room 44 

Tapioca    custard 20 

Taste,  cultivation  of SO 

Tea,  forbidden  to  children 28 

Teeth 56 

and    diet 58 

care  of 50 

cut  of 59 

decay    of 58 

defective,  a  cause  of  retardation-  57 

defects   of 57 

digestion    and 57 

infected,  cause  of  disease 57 

method  of  brushing  the 59 

permanent 59 

temporary 57 

Temperature,  of  bathroom 54 

of   hot,    warm^   tepid,    and    cold 

bath 53 

of  playroom •  44 

of  sleeping  room 37 

Throat,  care  of 00 

Thumb  sucking,   to  prevent 38 

Tonsils,  enlarged 01 

inflamed,  treatment  of 61 

Toothache,  bad  effects  of 57 

Toothbrush  drill 59 

Toothbrushes  and  powders 58 

Toys,  for  indoor  play 42 

for  out-of-door  play 40 

mechanical 42 

Towels 54 

Training  of  children 45,40,47,48 

Traits  of  character,  inborn 46 

significance  of 40 

Tub  for  child's  bath 53 


88 


INDEX. 


UiKliTclothing-. 
washing    ol 

Vnder.  taiuling 
sity    for 

Unsf'lfishuess, 
manners 

Untruthfulness, 
upon  child 

Vegetable.    aei.(l!= 

Vegetal)les.  pod 
food  elemt'i 

raw 

serving  of. 
use  of  in  c 
washing   o 

Ventilation,  ess 
HH'thods  o 
of  playroo 
of  sleeping 


Name 

Dale  t>f  birth. 


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DAY  AND  TO  $1.00  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


NOV   6     mi 

NOV  SI  1945 


MAR  1  7  200Z 


APR  2  5    7003 


[eight. 


Pagd 


Inches. 


Efl^ty.  ^^N  0  2  2007 


At  ])irt]i 
End  of 
End  of  second 
End  of  third  : 
End  of  fourth 
End  of  fifth  v 


LD  21-50»H-8,'32 


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